The Spurs did a lot right this offseason, but the departure that could sting most has nothing to do with a player.
San Antonio loaded up around its core, bringing in two first-round picks in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed, adding Tobias Harris to strengthen the starting group, and keeping Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes on reasonable deals. Victor Wembanyama also took a $50 million pay cut on his contract, a move that only added to what already looked like a strong summer.
On paper, it’s the kind of offseason that puts a team in position to push toward the top after its first Finals run as a group last season. The roster is there.
The expectations are there, too. Still, one move away from the box score may prove to be the one that matters most.
Sean Sweeney, who spent just one season in San Antonio, left after getting a head coaching opportunity in Orlando. He arrived as Mitch Johnson’s lead assistant after a stop with the Dallas Mavericks and quickly became central to what the Spurs did on defense.
That side of the floor changed fast. Even with Wembanyama and Stephon Castle making life difficult for opponents by themselves, San Antonio still climbed from 25th to third in defensive rating. Sweeney had plenty to do with that rise.
"The Spurs did have one pretty significant loss this offseason: They lost Sean Sweeney, their associate head coach, the architect of their defense," said ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Now, a pretty good foundation for a defense, if you're going to be an architect, is to have Victor Wembanyama.
But, you know, they brought in Billy Donovan. I'm not sure if Donovan is going to run their defense."
"That's an amazing addition to their bench," countered Brian Windhorst.
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