Spurs Urged To Pair Victor Wembanyama With All-Star Forward in Trade

The Spurs were linked to a couple of different NBA superstars throughout the offseason, notably missing out on Kevin Durant before he was traded to the Houston Rockets. The Spurs could be hesitant to part ways with their valuable assets before seeing their current roster in action together, but they certainly have some options if they want to go that route.

Yahoo! Sports NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor brought up Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen as a potential trade target for San Antonio.

“Lauri Markkanen is one of the types of guys that if I’m the Spurs, I’m like, ‘Yes, sign me up. Bring me Lauri Markkanen.’ Because of the shooting ability and everything he does on ball, off ball, motion, movement, passing," O'Connor said.

"Like Lauri Markkanen fits anywhere, and he brings exactly what the Spurs need with his shooting ability in the front court, so that’s where I kind of come down with. I think they need to trade in part because of the lack of shooting."

Markkanen, 28, is coming off a slight down year in Utah as the Jazz looked to make a push in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but ultimately drafted Ace Bailey with fifth pick. Markkanen has been dominating trade rumors for the past couple of years, and it could finally be time for the franchise to move on.

The Spurs have the assets to make a move for the one-time All-Star if they wanted to, and he would be a great fit in a frontcourt alongside Wembanyama. Markkanen is coming off a wildly impressive EuroBasket run this offseason while representing Finland, and the Spurs have always been a great home for international talent.

In his lone All-Star season with the Jazz, Markkanen averaged 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting 49.9% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. Markkanen's ability to space the floor would be a game-changer for the Spurs, who have minimal threats from beyond the arc.

On top of his incredible fit in San Antonio, the Spurs would likely be able to acquire Markkanen without giving up their most valuable assets. Building a package around Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and draft assets could get the job done, although Utah is typically stingy when it comes to trade returns.

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