Manu Ginobili said his contract talks with the Philadelphia 76ers were genuine and not a negotiating ploy to receive a richer offer from the San Antonio Spurs.

“It was not my main option. I never wanted to leave San Antonio,” Ginobili told The Vertical. “But I had to listen to all the options that are there.”

Philadelphia was offering a two-year contract offer that guaranteed in the first season (between $16 million and $17 million) more than five times what the Spurs initially offered for one year ($3 million).

“The fact that Philadelphia had a great coach and a person I appreciate so much as Brett Brown, made it more appealing in the case the Spurs didn’t happen,” Ginobili told The Vertical. “But the Spurs happened and they always had the priority.”

The Spurs improved their one-year offer to $14 million.