Tim Duncan signs three-year, $30 million contract (Update)

Apr 22, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) hangs from the rim before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the AT

Update July 15 5:59 p.m: Ludden of Yahoo! Sports reported that Tim Duncan’s contract is worth $30 million over three seasons.

Update July 10 11:14 a.m: Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a three year contract according to Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports. This contract will be around the range of Kevin Garnett’s $34 million dollar deal and will likely span the rest of Duncan’s tenure in the NBA. It’s imperative that San Antonio builds a cohesive roster with the intention of winning a championship — and quickly.

Ludden also reported that the Spurs have reached a deal with Patty Mills though the contract details unspecified. Nando De Colo seems like a lock to join the Spurs as well. The Spurs have already signed Boris Diaw to a two-year $9.2 million contract according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Duncan, 36, has seen his efficiency undergo a natural decline. That can be attributed to an increased reliance on his mid-range game, which represented 46.7% of his shot attempts last season, and the difficulty in coping with the omnipresent drop in athleticism. Given the circumstances Duncan has aged rather efficiently. His polished offensive game and basketball acumen make his transition effortless.

Still: Duncan was proficient in pick-and-rolls as he scored 1.08 points per possession while converting on 54.9% of his attempts per MySynergySports. His range, which extends to about 18-feet, gives the Spurs’ scorers just enough space to create for themselves.

And, perhaps most importantly, Duncan still retains his assiduousness on the defensive end, as he allowed a mere 0.73 PPP overall. Against post-ups Duncan allowed 38.1% shooting from the field; his efficacy in the post rates him among the top 60 overall.

As the game delves away from traditional big man, Duncan becomes even more valuable. He was the anchor to the Spurs’ defensive units, the key cog that made everything worked. The Spurs allowed 97.6 points per 100 possessions while he was on the floor which would’ve been the best mark in the NBA last season.

Anchoring an entire team is a tough thing to do and Duncan deserves every penny of this deal.

And then some.