Spurs, what are your intentions with S.A.?

The jolting thought of the San Antonio Spurs relocating to Austin is enough to make the playing lives of George Gervin, David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili flash before the eyes of Spurs’ fans.

This happened, just days ago, with the news that the Spurs have asked Bexar County Commissioners Court to restructure their agreement to double the number of “home” games the team plays away from the AT&T Center without penalties.

The $175 million arena, which opened in 2002, was mostly financed through county-issued bonds, and hotel and car rental taxes. The agreement limits the Spurs to playing no more than two home games away from it. If they exceed that number, they would owe the county $130 million.

The Spurs proposed a two-year trial program that would allow them to play two “home” games in Mexico and two others within 100 miles of San Antonio, a radius that would include Austin or San Marcos. Commissioners voted 3-2 to amend the non-relocation agreement for one year, but it’s up for a second vote.

It’s not the flirtation with Mexico and San Marcos that worries some fans. It is the national infatuation with Austin that unsettles fans and fuels fear that a few “home” games there eventually could lead to a move.

It’s probably unlikely. And yet teams break their fans’ hearts all the time by moving. The Chargers played in San Diego for more than 50 years before bolting to Los Angeles.

The Spurs have insisted they’re only trying to expand their market. Maybe, but expanding that market comes at the expense of our market and fans, right?

Next season marks the golden anniversary of the arrival of the Spurs in San Antonio, and we’d like to think there’s little reason to believe we won’t be celebrating anniversaries of this union for decades to come.

The Spurs’ non-relocation agreement with the county runs through 2032. Last August, they appeared to reaffirm their commitment to stay when commissioners gave them $15 million for a 22-acre public park as part of a $500 million, 45-acre performance center and public event space that’s being called “The Rock at La Cantera.”

But there is something stronger than a legal clause binding the Spurs to this

city, and it’s something that should be more durable than brick-and-mortar cementing the team to its fans.

The Spurs are the only franchise of the five major professional sports leagues (we’re including soccer) that San Antonio has ever had, and that makes for a uniquely intense relationship. Fans have a certain insecurity about the Spurs that is rooted in disbelief.

Disbelief that an American Basketball Association team would relocate to San Antonio; that a skinny sharpshooter and finger roller named George Gervin would emerge as a Hall of Famer; that the Spurs would be one of the four ABA teams accepted into the NBA; that David Robinson would want to play here after honoring his two-year commitment to the Navy; that Tim Duncan wouldn’t leave as soon as he had the chance; that the greatest and winningest basketball coach in history would do it in San Antonio; that in winning five NBA championships, the Spurs would be recognized as one of the best run and most successful sports franchises in American history.

All of that has happened here over nearly 50 years. This history is what makes a move unlikely, and also why it would be so devastating.

We expect the Spurs to be here for years to come. That said, we see three remedies to address the public’s concerns about Austin “home” games.

• Spurs Sports and Entertainment CEO R.C. Buford and Spurs Chairman Peter J. Holt should accept Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff ’s invitation to the May 17 Commissioners Court meeting to address the public. They need to offer an unequivocal commitment to San Antonio.

• The community should begin a long-term discussion about a new arena. The AT&T center is adequate for the moment, not the future. A generational commitment requires long-term planning and community buy-in. Start now.

• Civic leaders need to get proactive about major league sports here. There should be a continuous concerted effort to add a second major league team — be it soccer or baseball — to the San Antonio sports landscape.

As for the immediate drama at hand, no matter how long a relationship, reassuring a partner of your commitment is always healthy.

A long-term,

unequivocal commitment would allay

fears

Ronald Cortes / Contributor Spurs guard Josh Primo fights for a rebound in April. As the Spurs push to play more “home” games away, three things need to happen.