The San Antonio Spurs’ 2024-25 season, if not wildly entertaining, was a positive one despite the announcement of season-ending injuries or conditions plaguing their legendary head coach Gregg Popovich, superstar trade deadline acquisition De’Aaron Fox and first-time All-Star center Victor Wembanyama.
With the three impactful figures slated to miss extended time, it’s likely that San Antonio will miss the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season, as the group is positioned as the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference with a current 28-38 record.
Though it may end as a losing season on paper, the Spurs took major strides in the form of Wembanyama’s progression and Fox being welcomed to the organization. Now, recent reports have indicated that the team’s general manager Brian Wright can add yet another superstar talent into the fold this summer.
In fact, it’s been presumed that San Antonio could contact the Utah Jazz to inquire about a trade for their scoring combo-forward and 2023 Most Improved Player award winner Lauri Markkanen to create an elite frontcourt tandem for the future.
“The Spurs have enough picks and young talent, like (Devin) Vassell and (Keldon) Johnson, making enough salary to bring back almost any player in the league (especially if (Harrison) Barnes is included),” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wrote Friday.
“Another choice could be Markkanen, giving Wembanyama a skilled front-court partner.”
“Markkanen has a massive salary but could be a fascinating fit in San Antonio.”
To provide Wembanyama with a supremely talented and efficient running mate, Pincus suggests that the Spurs could hypothetically land Markkanen for a package including a combination of Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes and others along with first-round draft capital.
Due to San Antonio’s substantial prospect room and number of draft choices, they’d plausibly be able to bring him in while keeping their Rookie of the Year favorite guard Stephon Castle.
At 27 years old, the 2023 All-Star selection has blossomed into one of the best young offensive talents in the entire NBA, as he’s compiled averages of 23.0 points and 7.8 rebounds on a solid 56.7% effective field goal percentage since his arrival to Utah prior to the 2022-23 season.
In what could be considered a “down year,” the versatile Finnish scorer has contributed 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the lowly 15-53 Jazz this season, and a desire to win could lead him to seek a trade to an up-and-coming force in the West like San Antonio.
As a prospective addition for the Spurs, Wembanyama and Markkanen could become one of the greatest frontcourt pairings in recent league history. Due to both players’ incredible athleticism, length and agility, their two-way potential would know no limits.
By adding Fox into the fray to complete a terrifying Big Three, the Spurs’ chances of becoming the next juggernaut of their conference would grown exponentially.
With the possible acquisition of Markkanen, the Spurs would have the opporunity to put the league on notice as early as 2025-26, but their title window would certifiably extend far into the future, barring injury.
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