San Antonio Spurs trade rumors, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors, Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama, Wembanyama shaves head, NBA trade rumors, NBA trade deadline, Wemby, Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs could shake up the NBA and pair Victor Wembanyama with another star big man in a trade idea before the trade deadline.
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 theyhaven’t been mentioned as much as other title contenders in recent NBA trade rumors.
However, while their latest major trade, addingDe’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 besidesLuke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk, they could use another frontcourt player to createwhat would be a devastating duo alongside Wembanyama.
Whileit’s hard to gauge how interested the Utah Jazz would be in making a trade for their star player, Lauri Markkanenwas 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 theSpurs’ 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, andquestionable, 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 Foxhasn’t even been in San Antonio for a year, sending him out for Markkanenisn’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 andback to reality, the Spurs recently lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in theirattempted 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 eachother’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 moveis expected to help them bounce back after losing six of their last ten games.
Though the franchise star has beenput back into the starting lineup, San Antonio has struggleda bit compared to when he was coming off the bench. TheSpurs’ next game comes on Thursday against the Bucks, a team dealing with its own slew of issues ahead of the trade deadline.