The San Antonio Spurs missed out on the biggest prize in free agency, but the team rebounded nicely by getting Pau Gasol to take his talents to then Alamo City.

In a lot of ways, adding Gasol was a much smarter move than bringing in Kevin Durant. Tim Duncan, the face of the franchise ever since he set foot in San Antonio in 1997, is mulling retirement, and although they have a great lineup in place that can compete with the best the NBA has to offer, adding Gasol will ensure that this team will be title contenders for the next two seasons.

Gasol and Duncan’s game are basically similar to one another. Both have a cache of post moves that they can use to get points in the paint. Both have a nice mid-range game, and both can pass out of double-teams.

You get the picture, right? Gasol will fit in quite nicely in Greg Popovich’s offense, which is why bringing him on board was a great “plan B” for the Spurs. Sure, the Golden State Warriors are looking like a team that God has put together, but with Gasol teaming up with LaMarcus Aldridge, budding two-way star Kawhi Leonard, and the ageless wonder of Tony Parker, the Spurs could very well be a thorn in the side of the Warriors budding dynasty.

So you have to commend the Spurs front office for jumping quickly on the player that they wanted when it became clear that Kevin Durant was not going to come to San Antonio, and the signing of Gasol is a nice consolation prize that will keep this team as a threat in the near future.