Catastrophic injury could send shockwaves through Spurs' trade deadline plans

After a terrific start to the season, the San Antonio Spurs hit a rough stretch that highlighted a big potential flaw. Their early-season injuries forced the Spurs to rely on a core group of players and exposed a lack of shooting, which could soon catch up to them. That increases the need for a trade to help solve that problem.

That is where the Utah Jazz possibly come in. The Spurs have previously been linked to star Lauri Markkanen, and he still makes sense as a trade target. After all, he is having a strong bounce-back season, averaging 27.6 points this season and has shot 37.9% from three on 8.1 attempts per game in his four seasons in Utah.

With Jazz center Walker Kessler now ruled out for the rest of the season, Utah may finally lean into a rebuild. That means trading Markkanen could be a top priority.

Lauri Markkanen could be traded as the season falls apart for Utah

I have previously mentioned several potential trade packages for Markkanen, with one of them looking a lot more realistic now. A package of Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, the unprotected Atlanta Hawks' 2027 first, and the Sacramento Kings' 2031 pick swap might be a better deal now than it was over the summer.

Vassell looks better starting the season than he did last season; the same can be said for Johnson. The Jazz will undoubtedly want more, likely Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle, though they may have to settle if they can't find a better offer elsewhere.

While Markannen is under contract for the next three seasons, the Jazz have incentive to move him this season. He is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and the Jazz should want to offload him so they can ensure that they will have one of the three worst records in the league.

That would give them the best possible draft odds and the best chance to draft studs like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, or Cam Boozer.

Lauri Markkanen makes plenty of sense for the Spurs

Parting ways with young OGs like Vassell and Johnson would be hard, but it's hard to justify not looking at potential upgrades. By trading Vassell and Johnson, the Spurs would be swapping out a talented shooter and a questionable shooter for one of the best in the NBA.

That can't be understated considering how much the Spurs have struggled at times to space the floor this season. Last season, they ranked seventh in the NBA in three-point attempts but rank just 15th this season, with Wembanyama taking less than half the number of threes he attempted per game last season.

To counter that, the Spurs could put enough shooting and playmaking around Wembanyama to keep teams from swarming him by adding Markkanen. After all, they could have a stacked starting five consisting of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Markkanen, and Wembanyama.

There would also be more minutes for Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant, and Juilan Champagnie, and they would round out their second unit with Jeremy Sochan and Luke Kornet. That could give the Spurs an elite 10-man rotation, with Markkanen possibly transforming their offense. He'd give them a third star who could fit in seamlessly next to Wembanyama and Fox while helping raise the team's ceiling.

Ultimately, San Antonio will have to weigh whether to make a big move this season or next summer. With Markkanen on the trade block, he'd be the perfect trade target.