The San Antonio Spurs organization has one of the cheapest front offices in the NBA when it comes to dolling out cash for talent, according to a new Bleacher Report study.
To compile its rankings, the sports-culture website looked at how much money each of the NBA’s 30 teams spent in luxury taxes since the 2017 CBA agreement, whichr raised the NBA salary cap is $170.8 million. Team’s that go over that salary cap must pay a luxury tax, while those that stay under the cap receive a tax rebate.
The analysis placed the Silver and Black at No. 26 in the league in terms of spending on talent, noting that the organization hasn’t gone over the salary cap since the 2017 CBA. THE NBA rewarded the Spurs’ frugality by giving the team a $46.5 million kickback — the highest rebate possible for not going over the luxury tax during that time.
But being cheap has its consequences. During that same time, the Spurs have only been to the playoffs twice.
“The rebuild hasn’t been pretty, but it yielded Victor Wembanyama,” Bleacher Report wrote. “It may take some time for San Antonio to flesh out an expensive roster around him capable of winning at the highest level.”
However, being economical also doesn’t mean a team has to suck.
The Houston Rockets, which were 25th in the league when it came to talent spending, made the playoffs three times since 2017. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic, which landed at No. 24, have been to the NBA Draft Lottery four times since 2017 but have also made the playoffs three times.
Now, that’s some good drafting.
Hell, the Indiana Pacers haven’t paid the luxury tax since 2017, and that team went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Just the same, spending big bucks isn’t a guarantee of success.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns were among Bleacher Report’s top five biggest-spending teams, paying more than $650 million in combined luxury taxes during that time.
Out of that group, no team has won a championship, and only the Phoenix Suns had a finals appearance.
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
San Antonio Spurs to play highest number of nationally televised games in 3 years
Cost of proposed San Antonio sports district could be as high as $4 billion
San Antonio Spurs fans turn out to see ‘The Iceman’ coach BIG3 team at Frost Bank Center
San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich toasts Tim Duncan before every dinner, Steve Kerr says
This article appears in Best of San Antonio 2024.