One by one, 15 members of the team formerly known as the defending NBA champions arrived at the Spurs practice facility Monday, to empty their lockers, say their goodbyes and meet with coach Gregg Popovich.

Afterward, Popovich emerged for his final formal meeting with the media of the season and acknowledged what most already suspected.

Even he can't say how many of those players will be back in the building come next fall.

"The team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year, because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit," Popovich said. "We want to try to start -- not exactly over again -- because these last four seasons have been a grind."

In a 15-minute interview session, Popovich lamented what he called a "real difficult year," praised Tim Duncan's moxie in Saturday's Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and set the stage for what should prove to be the most landscape-altering Spurs offseason in some time.

Ten players will be free agents on July 1. Three -- the 39-year-old Duncan, 37-year-old Manu Ginobili, and 35-year-old Matt Bonner -- are weighing retirement decisions.

Given that, Popovich at times Monday caught himself talking about this era in the past tense.

"It's a great group and the run has been wonderful," Popovich said.

Popovich isn't quite ready to officially shut the door on the Big Three era. He says he has not yet had serious discussions with any player about retirement intentions.

Kawhi Leonard, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year and the Spurs' other high-profile free-agent-to-be, is expected to re-sign a long-term, maximum deal with the club.

As for his own immediate plans, the 66-year-old Popovich all but committed himself to another season, saying "you can only plant so many tomatoes."

The Spurs, of course, saw this summertime makeover coming for seasons in advance.

They timed most players' contracts to expire together after the 2014-15 campaign, leaving ample flexibility in deciding how to best reboot the roster.

Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford can re-sign the bulk of a team a year removed from an NBA championship. Or they can chase a high-dollar free-agent infusion.

But probably not both.

In order for the Spurs clear maximum cap space for the likes of Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge or Memphis' Marc Gasol, it would likely require Ginobili to retire, Duncan to return on a low-dollar deal and all other free agents -- including valuable sharpshooting defender Danny Green -- to depart.

Popovich said he has "complete faith and trust" in Buford and his front-office staff to chart the appropriate path forward.

"R.C. and his group have always done a great job of doing things, both frugally and with class," Popovich said. "If money needs to be spent, it's spent. But it's never done unwisely."

Mostly, however, Popovich spent much of Monday rueing that these questions are coming so soon.

He mentioned hundreds of fans who showed up at San Antonio International Airport on Sunday to greet the vanquished champs' return flight home.

"It was really heartfelt and gratifying," Popovich said, "but it really made us feel like we let them all down."

Despite attaining 55 wins, the Spurs finished the season with the sixth seed and an ill-fated first-round date with the 56-win Clippers.

They struggled through an injury-riddled, snakebitten December, found their footing during a March and April that saw them win 21 of their final 25 regular-season games, then were forced to navigate the Clippers series with a banged-up Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter.

It marked only the fourth time in 18 postseasons since Duncan's arrival that the Spurs failed to pass the first round.

Even had the Spurs survived Game 7 against L.A. -- after playing into three consecutive Junes -- Popovich wonders how much gas they would have had left in the tank for Houston in the second round.

"I don't think we were as sharp, mentally and certainly physically, as we have been in the past," Popovich said. "Given that, I was really proud of them, especially in Game 7, the way they came back and dug deep."

And now Popovich is off to contemplate his longest offseason since 2011.

There are tomatoes to plant, but only for so long.

jmcdonald@express-news.net @JMcDonald_SAEN