Spurs enjoy summer reign
After a Game 7 loss in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers in early May, it was only natural to wonder if this was the end of the San Antonio Spurs.
The end of Tim Duncan’s career, perhaps, and by association the end of a storied run. Even they didn’t know what would happen.
“No idea,” Spurs small forward Boris Diaw said when asked about their uncertain future. “All we know right now is that we’re pissed that we lost.”
Rest assured, they’re not angry anymore. The Spurs are the clear winners in NBA free agency.
Veterans Duncan and Manu Ginobili and young studs Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green agreed to return, and the Spurs landed LaMarcus Aldridge, one of the best big men on the planet, changing everything about their story. They went from a failed title defense and possible end of an era to a bold and bright new beginning.
Even with the Dallas Mavericks wresting center DeAndre Jordan away from the Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies retaining Marc Gasol, the Cleveland Cavaliers keeping Kevin Love and the Atlanta Hawks persuading Paul Millsap to stay, that sensational sequence of Spurs moves would have been more than enough to qualify as a free agency trump card. And then, as if the basketball gods were rewarding them for years of selfless service to the game, David West happened.
The two-time All- Star’s decision to leave behind a $12.2 million player option with the Indiana Pacers to sign with the Spurs on a $1.4 million, veteran’s minimum deal was the stuff of coach Gregg Popovich’s dreams. Not only because West will be a fantastic fit coming off of the Spurs bench, but because it sets the perfect tone for their latest championship charge.
Say what you will about the fact that West had earned approximately $87 million in his 12-year
career, but sacrifice is sacrifice. And in today’s NBA, let alone today’s professional sports world, this was the kind of money move that is rarely seen.
And West isn’t the only one whose willingness to take less significantly impacted this summer.
Dirk Nowitzki also should be lauded, as the 13-time All- Star’s decision to sign a three-year, $24 million deal with Dallas a year ago paved the way for the Mavericks’ rebuild. Without the financial flexibility gained from his below-market deal, the Mavs couldn’t have landed Jordan (four years, $80 million) and former Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (four years, $47 million). Ditto for Duncan, whose final salary is undetermined but who made it clear to the Spurs throughout the free agency process that he’d take whatever was left over after their roster remodel was over (likely well below $10 million annually).
Meanwhile, the NBA’s flagship franchises continue to falter.
If anyone thought the leaguewide leveling of the playing field was a fleeting trend, last week’s moves again dispelled that notion. Whether it was big man Greg Monroe spurning the New York Knicks for the Milwaukee Bucks or Aldridge, Jordan and others passing up chances to join the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s clear that market size hardly matters in today’s NBA. There are lessons to be learned here, too, chief among them the fact that recruiting top talent gets incrementally tougher when incumbent superstars send such a strong message that they’re still the top talent.
In stark contrast to the Mavericks and Spurs with Nowitzki and Duncan, the Lakers gave then-35year-old Kobe Bryant a two-year, $48.5 million extension in November 2013 and the Knicks resigned Carmelo Anthony to a five-year, $124 million deal last summer. Both are worth their contracts in terms of the impact they have on revenue produced, but both teams have been shooting air balls in free agency ever since doing those deals. Could there be a correlation? It’s impossible not to wonder.
When you’re a young star receiving a pitch from a pursuing team, it’s one thing to hear about how you’ll be The Man one day and quite another to know that — even with Hall of Fame-caliber players sharing the same locker room — you’ll be the highest-paid player on the team from the start. Money does talk, and sometimes it’s more eloquent than any of these general managers and coaches in the free agent chase. And while the Lakers and Knicks had enough salary cap room to add a maximum-salary star, it speaks volumes that they couldn’t get any of the top-tier players to buy in.
Phil Jackson and his Knicks recovered nicely, if not spectacularly, getting guard Arron Afflalo (two years, $16 million), big man Robin Lopez (four years, $54 million) and forward Kyle O’Quinn (four years, $16 million in a sign-and-trade deal). The Lakers added a superb scorer in reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams (three years, $21 million) and veteran forward Brandon Bass, but their biggest acquisition was center Roy Hibbert, who arrived from the Pacers in a trade.
The silver lining for Lakers fans? Jordan’s departure from L.A. means the title talk coming from Clipper Nation is put on hold for the foreseeable future.
Even the reigning champion Golden State Warriors — who resigned forward Draymond Green (five years, $82 million) and reserve point guard LeAndro Barbosa (one year, $2.5 million) — would have to admit it’s the Spurs who upped their championship chances. But owner Dan Gilbert and his Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers, who are expected to re-sign LeBron James as a final order of business after he opted out, might be a close second. As long as Gilbert (net worth $4.8 billion, according to
Forbes) doesn’t go broke first. They have Love back with a five-year deal worth approximately $110 million, in addition to Iman Shumpert (four years, $40 million). They also reportedly added Mo Williams (two years, $4.4 million), who was with James in his first go-round with the Cavs. They appear likely to come to terms on a deal with restricted free agent forward Tristan Thompson, who shares the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports) as James and will almost assuredly reap the benefits that come with that synergy. Cleveland also has guards J.R. Smith (unrestricted) and Matthew Dellavedova (restricted) to deal with.