Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but what you're saying is that no matter how long Splitter waits he will have to abide by the rookie scale as soon as signs? If that's the case then I'm pretty sure you're wrong. Under the current CBA the rookie scale applies to first-round picks only for the first three years after which they are drafted.
Here's an excerpt from a Chris Sheridan piece on Ricky Rubio:
"If Rubio plays three seasons for FC Barcelona, by the summer of 2012 he no longer would be bound by the terms of the NBA rookie scale, which apply to first-round picks only for the first three years after which they are drafted.
Rubio then could exercise his buyout (which remains the same in 2012 as it is in 2011: 1 million euros), come to America at age 21 and not be bound by the rookie scale. (Yes, there is a specific rule covering these situations. We've checked the details with the highest authorities and discovered a few caveats: Rubio's contract would have to be for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five, and the money that would be made available to him could be only from a team with salary-cap space, the mid-level exception, or a disabled player exception.)"
Interesting. I'll have to look into it more, but considering the lengths that had to be gone to just to find that information, I'll use that as my excuse if I'm wrong. But I've never heard that previously.
Regardless, that does not change the fact that the Spurs aren't trading his rights unless the asking price is absurd.