Spurs exciting offseason severely underrated in new NBA ranking

It has been half a decade since the San Antonio Spurs have made it into the postseason. It's unusual. This fan base is used to making it to the playoffs every year without fail. It became so commonplace that you could pen the organization for tickets to the dance before a single game was played at the beginning of a season. That time feels like forever ago, but they are on the cusp of correcting that, and once they do, another immaculate run should be expected to follow.

The front office has a proven track record of putting competitive teams together. Give them a foundation to build around and they'll do the rest. Well, San Antonio has the ultimate foundation in Victor Wembanyama, and they've begun to make the moves necessary to reclaim their spot as a playoff staple. A return to the postseason could come as soon as this season, and that's enough to move them up a few spots on any list that ranks offseason moves.

The Spurs should be higher on this list

There's no arguing about the top four spots in this ranking. Those teams have all made significant moves to improve their rosters and chances to compete not just in the regular season but in the playoffs. The Celtics are interesting because most of what they did was just retain their players. The argument made by the writer David Aldridge is that no championship team has retained their core players after winning a ring since the Warriors in 2018. Fair enough.

But the Sacramento Kings were part of a trade that saw them add some non-consequential pieces in Jalen McDaniels and Orlando Robinson. Devin Carter is a good addition, but hardly enough to raise you to the top 6. You would think that bringing DeMar DeRozan in is what elevates your offseason, but there are too many questions about his fit there. Don't forget that a panel of NBA writers deemed that trade one of the worst moves made this offseason on behalf of the Kings and the Chicago Bulls.

The Brooklyn Nets are going into full rebuild. They moved Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, and while it is smart to do business with whoever you can, it's not awesome if that team is your in-state rival. Points have to be deducted for being in a place where that was necessary. They ended up with a world of picks, but picks don't play. There's no telling if they'll pick the right players or do right by those players. Their offseason should be virtually ungradable right now.

Don't get me started on Cleveland. Sure, it was awesome to re-sign Donovan Mitchell when rumors were circulating that he might want to move on. But you undercut that impressive retention by giving Evan Mobley a max deal. He's a good player, but that was an overpay that will bite them later.

The Cavs also fired JB Bickerstaff, who showed growth every season in the four years he had, leading them to a second-round exit against the eventual champion, the Boston Celtics. They then replaced him with Kenny Atkinson, who has a 118-189 record as a head coach. Bickerstaff was 48-34 last season and 51-31 the year before. That doesn't sound like sound decision-making. Time will tell if it works out for them, but on its face, it's a terrible move. Ask Denver what patience gets you.

San Antonio improved their roster, adding Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. They addressed a problem with shooting and point guard play without giving up anything in the process. The drafting of Stephon Castle is already looked at as a major win for the franchise, as he projects to be one of the best players in the class. They made enough moves to get back to the playoffs, because when you have a superstar, you just need to make sure the players around him are competent and the sky is the limit. The Spurs have done that and should be 6th on this list, at worst.