Spurs have Celtics to thank for their home run free agent signing

The San Antonio Spurs' biggest free agency move went under the radar but could have a giant impact on the team this season. They signed center Luke Kornet to a four-year deal within minutes of the start of free agency, and that is quickly looking like a smart move on their part.

However, considering the unique financial situation that his former team, the Boston Celtics, was facing, the Spurs should be thanking the much-criticized collective bargaining agreement for gifting them a terrific backup center.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently mentioned that the Celtics were constrained by the CBA when it came to bringing Kornet back.

That contributed to their offseason overhaul, which saw them trade Kristaps Porzingis and let Al Horford and Kornet leave in free agency. As a result, they likely have the worst center rotation in the NBA, while the Spurs may have the best.

The San Antonio Spurs have the Celtics to thank for Luke Kornet

They, of course, have Victor Wembanyama, who is already arguably a top-three center in the NBA. Now, they have one of the best backup big men in Kornet, who could help them solve their biggest flaw from last season.

Any Spurs fan will say that the team's backup center rotation last season was downright brutal to watch at times. Fortunately, we won't be subjected to that type of torture, with Kornet proving to be a perfectly solid big man on both sides of the floor.

He is a skilled screener, passer, and finisher in the paint. Defensively, he is an impressive rebounder and elite rim protector. Expect him to also play alongside Wembanyama, which he has done in the preseason to impressive results.

Luke Kornet could help give the Spurs a new Twin Towers

In their first game sharing the floor, Wembanyama found Kornet three times for three easy dunks. If they can develop that two-man game, it might not matter who they share the floor with.

It could be reminiscent of the Tiago Splitter and Tim Duncan pairing that played alongside Tony Parker, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard. Only two of those five players could shoot threes, and only one of them was a high-volume 3-point shooter. This incarnation of the Spurs could be much better suited to play a twin-tower lineup.

Although De'Aaron Fox isn't a knockdown shooter, he wasn't shy in taking them last season and even averaged two made threes per game. Castle isn't either, but he showed flashes as a shooter last season, while Devin Vassell is due for a huge bounce-back season.

Factor in that Wembanyama led all centers in 3-point attempts, and a two-big-man lineup with him and Kornet could ultimately work well, especially defensively. That would expand Kornet's role beyond being just Wembanyama's backup.

However, he could eat into Barnes and Jeremy Sochan's playing time. Still, if the team is better for it, then it's worth it, and the Spurs could have the Celtics and the CBA to thank for it.

Overall, Kornet was gifted to the Spurs thanks to the Celtics and the CBA. Early returns suggest that he could be a terrific backup center and even play with Wembanyama, potentially making him a huge free agent steal.