Potential hold up on Spurs Jazz Markkanen deal is non-negotiable

The offseason has been interesting, to say the least, for the San Antonio Spurs, and it isn't over yet. There are still valuable players on the market, and the team still has holes that need to be filled. Brian Wright has done a great job of adding to the roster, but as the late great Kobe Bryant once said in pursuit of a championship up 2-0 against the Orlando Magic, "Job's not finished."

For a general manager, the job is never complete. Even after you win a championship, the best GMs are back to evaluating how to improve the team rather quickly. The next season pulls up on you before you know it when you play games into June. But the job isn't just about what deals you make; the deals you don't make have just as much of an impact, and if this is what it would take to get Lauri Markkanen, Wright should hold his ground.

Devin Vassell is not on the trade block

It's prudent to point out that this is speculation, but it is surmised from well-informed insiders, and it makes sense. The Spurs were rumored to be a part of a group of teams who inquired about Markkanen. If you are Utah, of course, you want Devin Vassell to come back in a deal for your best player, along with a mountain of picks. Utah's general manager Danny Ainge built a reputation for finessing GMs in the past, so expecting him to give up Lauri for cheap is a pipe dream.

Markkanen is a special player, no doubt, and pairing him with Victor Wembanyama would make them both that much more difficult to stop. Vassell is a 20-point-per-game scorer on a very team-friendly deal that just started. Markkanen is in the last year of his deal and would be looking for upwards of $200 million.

The Spurs will owe Vassell $29 million next season, and that number drops to 27 the following year when the cap is projected to explode. The deal is worth $146 million; meanwhile, the Orlando Magic just paid Franz Wagner $270 million for similar production. Vassell's combination of contract and production would make him an extremely valuable commodity on just about any team in the league, so we think we'll keep him.