san antonio spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs have been viewed as a favorite in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. However, a new rumor suggests the front office is not as interested in the idea as some assumed.
After the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the first round for the third straight year, the rumor mill about a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade went into high gear. And from the start, the Spurs were seen as a realistic landing spot. Since they have the player and draft assets to get a deal done.
However, Sports Illustrated NBA insider Chris Mannix claimed this week that decision-makers in San Antonio may not be that interested in a blockbuster trade for the superstar forward.
“One of the concerns people in San Antonio told me about is, you go and deal for a guy like Giannis, all of a sudden, you’ve created a championship window. But it is a window with a closing date,” Mannix said on NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season special. “You’ve got De’Aaron Fox, who’s in his late 20s, Giannis in his early 30s.
“The last thing they want is to have a roster after those guys kind of age out, where (Victor) Wembanyama is maybe looking around going, ‘All right, where are the young guys I’m going to play with after that?’. That’s on the mind of the San Antonio Spur,” he added. “That’s why they want to hold on to Stephon Castle. So he can be that second guy opposite Wembanyama for a long time, assuming they trade that No. 2 pick.”
Could the San Antonio Spurs pivot to a Jaylen Brown trade pursuit?
jaylen brown
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So if the Spurs don’t go after Antetokounmpo, who could they target this summer? Well, Mannix believes San Antonio should be viewed as a serious contender if the Boston Celtics consider moving Jaylen Brown and his massive contract.
“The team I’d watch the closest with Jaylen Brown is probably the Spurs,” he said. “Sure, I think they would love to make a run at Giannis, but do the Bucks ask for Stephon Castle? Like, is that on their wish list? And if it is, I can’t see San Antonio doing a deal like that.”
The Celtics head into the summer needing to make big cuts to their roster or face a payroll bill with taxes that surpass $500 million next season.
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