In the midst of one of the most exciting offseasons in basketball history, the San Antonio Spurs find themselves once again flying under the radar and yet again ahead of everyone else. They didn't make the superstar jaw-dropping signing or trade, but the Spurs have brought back a championship caliber team with the decisions from management.

The Spurs didn't sign LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or even Lance Stephenson, who all signed new deals this offseason. Instead, the Spurs focused on bringing back their core players and saving money. General Manager Robert Buford has shown that he's the best in the league, by far.

Less than two weeks after their championship victory over the Miami Heat, the best thing that could have happened did happen for the Spurs. Tim Duncan opted into the final year of his contract and will make $10 million. That is a bargain compared to what other older players are making. For some perspective, Kobe Bryant is set to make $25 million next season and Steve Nash will make $9.7 million in base salary next year.

With the Spurs not breaking the bank on one individual and players willing to take less, it saves a lot of money to re-sign other great players and options become more open.

Both Tony Parker Manu Ginóbili have decided to return for another season. We often talk about the "domino effect" and how LeBron James making a decision would immediately impact other free agents. If Duncan would have chosen to retire, there's a very good chance Parker and Ginóbili would have done the same. The big three would have been no more.

Duncan, Parker, and Ginóbili have won four NBA titles together.

Perhaps the biggest news from San Antonio wasn't that a scorer, rebounder, or an all-time great player was returning. Head Coach Gregg Popovich signed an extension to remain as the Spurs head coach. Popovich may be 65 years old, but he's still hungry for another championship.

The Spurs also re-signed both Boris Diaw and Patty Mills. Are either of those two players Hall of Famers? No, but they certainly played an essential role in last year's championship run and helped the Spurs gain the No. 1 seed. Mills is a fast young player who often ran circles around the Heat defense, while Diaw frequently looks like a point guard in a 250 pound body with his precision passing. His well balanced game creates multiple problems for opposing defenses.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the Spurs biggest competitors in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, the Thunder haven't done much at all to dethrone the Spurs this offseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers obviously made the biggest splash in free agency by signing LeBron James, but many concerns still remain. James still has to adapt to a new system, teammates and coaching staff.

Not only were the Spurs able to keep all of their top tier players, but they are also bringing back most of their x-factor players as well. Marco Belinelli, Danny Greene, Tiago Splitter, and Kawhi Leonard are all suiting up in a Spurs uniform next season once again. This is one of the deepest team rosters we have ever seen.

The NBA season doesn't tip off until late October when the Spurs and Cavaliers face off, but it looks as if the San Antonio will be next year's favorites.

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