Shane Battier has one more year on contract then may retire

At age 34, Shane Battier has had a good NBA career — 12 seasons, one NBA championship (at least), he was the college player of the year, and he’s made a little more than $53 million.

He has one more year left on his contract and he told Sam Amick of the USA Today that after next season he might hang up his sneakers and just stay home and make gnocchi.

“I think I have one more year,” Battier told USA TODAY Sports. “My contract is up next year, and I’ll reassess where I am, but we’ll see. It’s a good possibility, a good possibility. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, and everything in this league is negotiable, but at that point I’ll be 36 and it may be time to do something else.”

Battier has been the kind of veteran the Spurs have needed the last two seasons — he’s become a “3 and D” guy but he’s done it well, played smart and provided a lot of value. But against the Pacers he lost his starting job and by the end wasn’t getting in the game save for garbage time. Same for the Finals.

After he retires, it’s not hard to picture him transitioning into broadcasting. Or really a host of other careers, he’s one of the smarter and more personable players in the league. Those of us looking for insights after games will miss him.