When the San Antonio Spurs reloaded with the additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and David West in last year’s free agency period there was a lot of talk about how they would be the team to beat in the NBA this season. The Spurs certainly lived up to the hype in the regular season with 67 wins and seemed destined to challenge the Golden State Warriors for supremacy in the Western Conference and maybe even the NBA. However, an early exit at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals has a lot of experts predicting the end of an era for San Antonio with the franchise facing some major uncertainty heading in to this summer. Here is a breakdown for the four biggest offseason priorities for the Spurs .
Push For The Biggest Free Agent Prize
San Antonio turned a ton of heads when it emerged out of seemingly nowhere to lock in LaMarcus Aldridge as one of the faces of the franchise moving forward. It only makes sense that they will attempt to double down by pushing hard for the biggest prize in this year’s free agent class. There have been reports that the Spurs will do whatever they can to try to land Kevin Durant this offseason and it will be very interesting to see whether the Thunder beating San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals hurts the possibility of KD switching allegiances. The addition of Durant would be a monster move for the Spurs and completely change their outlook looking forward to next season.
An Infusion Of Youth
After watching the way their core wore down in the playoffs it is abundantly clear San Antonio will need to add an infusion of youth to their core this offseason. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will likely retire but even if one or both return this team is in dire need of some young talent that can help carry them through the regular season and provide them with some added energy in the playoffs. Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard are clearly the cornerstones of the franchise but beyond Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker the Spurs relied on too many veteran players this year including West, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills and they could certainly use some fresh legs moving forward.
Acquire A Playmaking Guard
One area of concern for San Antonio has to be the point guard position where Parker and Mills in particular struggled against the Thunder. Parker and Mills combined to average just 17.0 points and 7.3 assists per game in the postseason and they were clearly outclassed when they ran in to Russell Westbrook in the Western Conference semifinals. Two of the best players still alive in the playoffs play the point guard position in Westbrook and the reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry and if the Spurs are going to match up against those teams next postseason they will need a playmaking guard of their own. Mike Conley’s name has been mentioned a lot as a potential target for San Antonio while Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks could be available as well. There are certainly a handful of options to consider and it would only make sense for the Spurs to address the position in the offseason.
Add A Defensive-Minded Big Man
The addition of Conley or Teague would represent a major upgrade for San Antonio but they shouldn’t stop there, especially if Duncan retires. Aldridge is a star big man but he can’t do it alone and the Spurs would be smart to compliment his overall skill set with a grinder that can provide energy and bring a defensive-minded approach to the table. Duncan’s shooting was terrible in the playoffs and his struggles allowed Oklahoma City to double up on Aldridge to slow him down. Bismack Biyombo and former San Antonio center Ian Mahinmi would both be excellent options to slide in to the line up and provide some physicality and energy to a team that was certainly lacking it in the postseason. The Spurs are clearly not that far away from being a legitimate NBA title contender and if they can make the necessary changes in the offseason they could re-emerge as a championship team next season.
