It’s not often the San Antonio Spurs make a huge splash during free agency. In fact, this is an organization that has built championship teams mainly through the NBA draft. But this offseason was entirely different for the 2014 NBA champions.
The Spurs drifted into the free agency period as frontrunners to land one of the biggest free agents this summer in LaMarcus Aldridge. After a couple of meetings and a lot of back and forth, Aldridge finally agreed to join San Antonio.
The four-time All-Star adds a whole new dimension to an already championship caliber team. He is a fantastic face up jump shooter, excellent in the mid post area, and a terrific pick-and-pop player. Not only is he an ideal big man for Tony Parker, but he will also compliment Tim Duncan nicely in the frontcourt.
Aldridge is a much improved rebounder and low post defender who will tremendously help Duncan in the painted area. And playing under coaching genius Gregg Popovich, expect Aldridge to take his game to a whole new level.
Although seeded sixth last season, the Spurs were considered championship contenders. Now with Aldridge in the mix, many believe this team can win the NBA title, but it remains to be seen.
It didn’t end there for the Spurs. Aside from Aldridge, they signed David West to a bargain deal, and when we say bargain, we mean it. West passed up on $11 million to take the veteran’s minimum worth $1.5 million with the Spurs.
Why would anyone in the right mind do such a thing? Well, West doesn’t care about the cash. All he wants at this stage of his career is a championship ring, and he feels the Spurs could satisfy his needs.
West, who has been a starter throughout most of his career, will serve as a bench player this upcoming season. The 34-year old battled injuries early last season, but he managed to put up 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night.
West is another outstanding mid-range, face up shooter who plays hardnosed defense. He is a blue collared player who is a wonderful locker room guy as well and has been an All-Star twice. What more can you ask from a bench player? West will certainly enhance San Antonio’s bench as he becomes another extremely positive addition to the roster.
Furthermore, the Spurs re-signed Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to well-paid deals. It was incredibly important to recover both players since they have been a vital part to San Antonio's success over the last three seasons. Leonard, the 2014 Finals MVP and last year's Defensive Player of the Year, has overthrown the big three as the best player on the team, while Green has satisfied them with his timely three-pointers and solid perimeter defense.
It hasn’t been all about positive additions for the Spurs this summer though, as they lost four key players from last year’s team – Aron Baynes, Tiago Splitter, Marco Belinelli, and Cory Jospeh. But they have all but compensated for those losses.
In a deal where they gave up nothing much in return, the Spurs acquired Ray McCallum. The 6-foot-3 point guard can practically do the same things Cory Joseph did for the team over the last few years. He could become another player who goes from nothing to something under Popovich’s masterful system.
Jimmer Fredette, who netted a training camp deal, can become the lethal three-point shooter the Spurs need to offset the loss of Belinelli. If any team could bring the best out of a player, it is the San Antonio Spurs. But first, Fredette will need to impress enough to make the roster cut.
Finally, the Spurs re-signed Matt Bonner to add extra depth to their frontcourt. Bonner is a marvelous floor spacer and efficient three-point shooter. His role may diminish this year, but when Popovich decides to call upon his number, Bonner will undoubtedly make the most of his minutes.
Just by attaining LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, the Spurs have been tagged as the biggest winners this offseason. Those two moves alone have overshadowed the fact that they were able to re-sign Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili as well.
Just when critics believed the Spurs may slowly start to decline, they revitalized their roster and are in good position to win an NBA championship. The regular season has yet to begin, but the San Antonio Spurs have had a special offseason, and they are heavy favorites to win it all.
They took an unusual approach this summer and bought talent rather than draft and establish like they usually do. Nevertheless, the Spurs are back, and they have had the best offseason amongst all teams.
Off-Season Grade: A