NBA Rumors: Matt Bonner Moving Overseas After Getting Snubbed by San Antonio Spurs

By Carlo Monzon
Matt Bonner
Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs. Wikimedia Commons/Zereshk

Power forward Matt Bonner has already accepted the fact that he will probably no longer be able to play for the San Antonio Spurs again. Because of this, he could end up playing basketball overseas instead.

Bonner has been with the Spurs since 2006. For a decade, he served as one of San Antonio's key players alongside Tim Duncan. However, when the offseason began this year, Bonner became a free agent. Since then, he hasn't heard back from the team regarding his status for next year.

He also didn't receive offers from other teams during free agency. And, with the 2016-2017 NBA season set to kick off in October, the 36-year-old athlete is starting to lose hope about rejoining the Spurs.

"Currently, they haven't signed me," he said according to NBC News 4 San Antonio. "I'm probably not going to be with the Spurs."

It is not yet exactly clear as to why the Spurs have not yet negotiated with Bonner regarding a new contract, but it may have something to do with the direction that the team wants to take. After Duncan ended an era in the NBA by announcing his retirement, the San Antonio organization, like other teams in the NBA, turned to the offseason to fill its roster with younger players.

However, even though Bonner hasn't heard back from his former team yet, he is still not considering retiring from basketball. He is still hoping that another NBA team will pick him up before next season begins. After all, despite his age, Bonner is still an excellent addition to a roster.

As noted by CBS Sports, his 3-point shooting average is at 44.1 percent, which is better that the stats of some younger players currently in the league.

But, if things in the NBA don't work well for Bonner, he could play basketball overseas. During the 2003 draft, the Toronto Raptors were able to acquire Bonner from the Chicago Bulls. However, since the Raptors didn't have a spot for Bonner on the lineup, they asked him to play for the Italian league under the Sicilia Messina to build up his experience and skills.

He played for the Italian team from 2003 to 2004. However, during the middle of the season, the team filed for bankruptcy and stopped paying its players. Although many of them left, Bonner still stayed with the team and finished the season.

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