No-brainer Giannis trade proposal would bring Spurs inches from ultimate goal

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors continue to rage, and now Zion Williamson has been thrown into the mix. It's sensible to believe the New Orleans Pelicans want to move off Zion, and if they're willing to agree to the one proposed by The Athletic's staff, it would be one of the most obvious decisions a GM's had to make since the Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka said yes to acquiring Luka Doncic.

What's missing from this graphic is Jeremy Sochan's name. The article describes the trade proposal in full, and the Pelicans would be receiving Devin Vassell, Pat Connaughton, Sochan, and the Hawks' 2027 first-round draft pick via the Spurs. That means San Antonio would be giving up three players and three picks for Giannis. The 210 would celebrate for a week straight if this deal were made.

The Spurs would be ready to compete for a championship next year

This scenario allows SA to keep Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle on their roster, and that's a huge win. The new starting lineup would have De'Aaron Fox running the point guard position for Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama. Their defense would be scary.

The offense would probably be a bit clunky in the beginning as they figure each other out, but I believe Wembanyama and Castle will continue to improve their shooting. That will elevate their offensive efficiency enough to be a consistent threat at a minimum. The ceiling of the offense is just as scary as the defensive potential.

San Antonio also keeps their first draft pick, and it's likely to land in the top 10. If you have the aforementioned starting lineup, you only want to draft Kon Knueppel more than ever. Projected as the best shooter in his class, Knueppel will provide the spacing to Wembanyama, Giannis, and Fox that they'll need to thrive.

Not putting resources into getting established shooters on the roster would be malpractice if this trade for Giannis were made. It would be egregious not to add shooters to this team regardless of whether this happens or not, but the urgency to acquire them skyrockets if they make this move.

Free agency will have options for the Spurs to choose from to fill out their roster. Guerschon Yabusele, Gary Trent Jr., Luke Kennard, and many more should be available, and getting them to agree to come to Alamo City to play next to Vic, Giannis, and Fox should be easy enough as long as they can make the money work. The next stop after that would be playoff contention with the league's best. Sign me up.