SAN ANTONIO — In the near future, the San Antonio Spurs will be exiting their current training facility for their brand new one - The Rock at La Cantera.
It will include a human performance research center on a 22-acre park, a state-of-the-art Spurs performance center, a public outdoor event plaza and space for medical, hospitality and commercial use.
Construction is already underway and the team sees it as an important piece in attracting free agents to the team.
Phil Cullen, Spurs' Director of Basketball Operations and Innovation, spoke with the Sports Business Journal on the importance of the new training facility when it comes to adding key players in NBA free agency.
“It is an arms race,” Cullen said. “Let’s just say the money’s equal, and the opportunities are equal as far as playing time.”
Said Cullen: “What’s going to be that decision-making factor that is going to drive a player to San Antonio? We wanted to make sure we gave ourselves the best opportunity in that discussion.”
Historically, top-tier NBA free agents have rarely decided to sign with the Spurs. The only notable major player to ink a deal with the Spurs in free agency was LaMarcus Aldridge.
Not even during the Spurs' championship era did key free agents decide to make San Antonio their new home and chase a title.
The Rock will be a big key in the team's current rebuild as the franchise will look to bring in top NBA free agents and use the new facility as a piece in their pitch.
And they will need it.
The Magic, Hornets, and Suns are constructing new training facilities, and overall, it's becoming a "training facilities arms race" in the league.
“Every NBA team is looking for as much of a competitive advantage as possible, and you have to stay current with technology, and you have to stay current with all the latest equipment,” Magic's CEO Alex Martins said to SBJ.
The Spurs will need every advantage they can use in the chase for free agents moving forward.
Hopefully, once The Rock is complete, free agency history will change for the Spurs and will bring in big-name players to accelerate the rebuild and bring the team back on top in the NBA.
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