These assets have come in the form of young talent (Len, Booker, Warren), draft picks (4 picks within the top 35 in this year’s draft), and favorable contracts (Bledsoe, Knight, and the Morris Twins).
Across the NBA, teams have been functioning under the premise that in order to win an NBA title, you need to have superstars. You need Shaq, Kobe, or both. You need Dwayne Wade, Lebron, or both. Championships require stars.
Looking through the last 30 NBA champions, the Pistons in 2004 were the only team that I believe you can easily argue did not have a top five NBA player.