Spurs send a bold message to rest of the NBA after striking offseason gold

All eyes were on the San Antonio Spurs heading into the summer after losing in the NBA Finals. Fortunately, the Spurs haven't disappointed. In fact, they have bolstered a team that won 62 games and came within three games of winning a championship last season.

What's been all the more impressive is that they haven't spent much to improve. They drafted big man Jayden Quaintance with the 20th pick in the NBA draft.

They then follow that up by trading the 35th pick and two future seconds for the draft rights to Tarris Reed Jr. Those two big man acquisitions signal a big frontcourt change and the Spurs' desire to shore up the weakpoints in their roster.

The Spurs have solved the flaws that cost them a championship

Ironically, the Spurs have gotten younger this summer by moving on from veteran big men such as Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo, and Mason Plumblee. Instead, Reed and Quaintance will be the depth behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet.

Better still, the Spurs re-signed Harrison Barnes for less than half of what he was making last season and added Tobias Harris with the mid-level exception.

Turning several aging big men into two promising young prospects and shoring up their depth at power forward were two big items on their checklist. Fortunately, San Antonio has already solved those problems just days into free agency.

Now, they appear to have a set roster and can focus on internal development instead.

Spurs' internal development is crucial to their championship hopes

A scary thought for the rest of the NBA is the fact that their young core stands to get much better. Wembanyama staked his claim to being the league's best player after leading his team to the NBA Finals in just his third season.

Even a 10% improvement from Wemby could make San Antonio that much better. The same can be said for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Castle made major strides as a 3-point shooter last season. Especially over the second half of the season and in the playoffs.

He is already an underrated mid-range threat, but if he can become a steady shooter, then he could easily emerge as an all-star next season. Last but not least is Harper, who had a stellar showing in the playoffs and especially in the NBA Finals.

He arguably has the most untaped potential and can begin to live up to the lofty expectations by playing more minutes next season. He'll hopefully average much more than the 22.6 minutes per game that he played last season. Perhaps averaging over 30 minutes, even off the bench.

He can thrive in a larger role, possibly even winning Sixth Man of the Year. Also, if Wembanyama and Castle make small yet meaningful strides, then that, along with the Spurs' offseason upgrade, could help the Spurs win a championship.

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