The San Antonio Spurs have done a solid job at putting together a strong supporting cast around franchise centerpiece Victor Wembanyama through the first two and a half seasons of his career, which is why they haven’t been mentioned as much as other title contenders in recent NBA trade rumors.
However, while their latest major trade, adding De’Aaron Fox before the 2025 deadline, might not seem as necessary now that they have Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, they’ve surrounded Wembanyama with some high-level backcourt players, who so far have meshed well together.
But what about another big man? San Antonio has the guard depth along with veteran wings, but besides Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk, they could use another frontcourt player to create what would be a devastating duo alongside Wembanyama.
While it’s hard to gauge how interested the Utah Jazz would be in making a trade for their star player, Lauri Markkanen was recently floated out as a potential blockbuster trade target for the Spurs, according to the Dallas Hoops Journal.
Blockbuster Lauri Markkanen, Spurs Trade Idea
Writing for the Dallas Hoops Journal, James Piercey outlined a trade that, if it went through, would drastically change both the NBA landscape and the Spurs’ title window with the 21-year-old Wembanyama.
Here’s the trade idea he offered up:
San Antonio Spurs receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz receive: De’Aaron Fox, Kelly Olynyk, a 2027 First-Round Pick (ATL via SAS), and a 2029 First-Round Pick (SAS)
The most obvious, and questionable, piece the Spurs would have to give up in this trade is Fox. But as mentioned, they already have two rising backcourt stars in Castle and Harper, so while Fox hasn’t even been in San Antonio for a year, sending him out for Markkanen isn’t the wildest idea offered up in recent trade rumors.
They’d also likely be willing to give up the two first-rounders if it means vaulting themselves into even greater title contention, especially because Markkanen is under contract for the next four years.
Additionally, Wembanyama has yet to play with another top-tier big man so far in his career. This season, Markkanen is averaging a career-high 27.9 points along with 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 48.3% shooting in 33 games.
“The Spurs have a developing logjam in the backcourt and fewer long-term needs at point guard than in the frontcourt,” Piercey wrote on the trade. “Markkanen, by contrast, fills a clean role. At seven feet, he provides elite shooting, secondary creation, and the ability to function seamlessly alongside Wembanyama without overlapping responsibilities.”
Though just an idea, an interesting one to say the least.
Wembanyama Makes Major Change After Thunder Loss
Aside from trade rumors and back to reality, the Spurs recently lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their attempted four-game sweep against the defending champions. After the contest, and before their next game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wembanyama and teammate Keldon Johnson debuted a new style.
According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, the two shaved each other’s heads after falling to the Thunder.
“Vic was like, ‘Yo, let’s bald our head.’ And I was like, ‘Let’s do it,’” Johnson said. “I was trying to make sure everything went smooth, take my time…I had to fade it up a little bit at first. Then I gave him a little bowl cut and then we went from there.”
Wembanyama had previously shaved his head over the summer while staying with Shaolin monks in China, and the move is expected to help them bounce back after losing six of their last ten games.
Though the franchise star has been put back into the starting lineup, San Antonio has struggled a bit compared to when he was coming off the bench. The Spurs’ next game comes on Thursday against the Bucks, a team dealing with its own slew of issues ahead of the trade deadline.
Spurs Land $197M Big Man As New Wembanyama Partner In Trade Idea