Seismic Spurs blockbuster trade would land them a star not named Kevin Durant

This potential Spurs blockbuster would shake up the NBA.
ByCal Durrett|
Stephon Castle
Stephon Castle | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The lead-up to the 2025 NBA Draft has been a rollercoaster for the San Antonio Spurs, especially after unexpectedly landing the second overall pick. With rumors swirling that the Spurs might trade the second pick, there is a potential trade that might make sense for them.

The Utah Jazz find themselves in no man's land, with them picking fifth in a four-player draft and having an incentive to move up. That increases the possibility of a Jazz trade. The thought of trading the number two pick is sure to draw ire from Spurs fans, but there is a trade that might make sense for both San Antonio and Utah.

Next, let's take a look at a proposed trade between the Spurs and Jazz and see whether both sides would agree to the deal.

San Antonio Spurs LogoSan Antonio Spurs
Receive
Lauri Markkanen
5th overall pick
Utah Jazz LogoUtah Jazz
Receive
Keldon Johnson
Devin Vassell
Malaki Branham
2nd overall pick

Seismic Spurs' blockbuster trade would land them Lauri Markkanen

The proposed trade would ship out Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham, and the second overall pick for Lauri Markkanen and the fifth pick. That would be a bold blockbuster that could solve several of the Spurs' problems in one go.

For one, there are questions regarding whether Dylan Harper would fit long-term with De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. Then there are the obvious spacing concerns. The Spurs only had four shooters in their regular rotation this season, and they'd likely be swapping out Chris Paul for Harper.

That would only make their problems far worse. In this move, they'd be trading back to five, presumably to draft either Tre Johnson, who is arguably the best overall scorer and high-volume 3-point shooter in the draft.

Or, they could draft Kharam Maluach, whom they have been linked to. That would give them a stretch-five who can back up Victor Wembanyama and even play alongside him.

Lastly, moving Branham would clear out a roster spot and $4.9 million from their books. That would give them more breathing room under the luxury tax and allow them to use both their full mid-level exception (MLE) and bi-annual exceptions (BLE) after the potential trade.

Should the Spurs trade for Lauri Markkanen?

Markkanen had a down season this year, seeing his scoring drop by 4.2 points per game. That has increased concern over his contract, with $196 million owed to him over the next four years, or $48.9 million a season. That is a big number, but less than a potential Kevin Durant extension would cost annually.

He is also almost 10 years younger, and while he isn't nearly the defensive player that Durant is, he is still an elite shooter who could thrive playing next to Wembanyama at the four.

If the Spurs were to aggressively pivot from Durant, they could pick up a player who averaged 23 points and 7.7 rebounds and shot a ridiculous 38% from three on 8.0 attempts per game over his first three seasons in Utah. Better still, they'd be largely offsetting his contract by offloading Vassell and Johnson.

Vassell will make around $27 million per season over the next four years, while Johnson will make $17.5 million over each of the next two years.

Adding Lauri Markkanen makes sense for the Spurs

Markkanen would make less than $2 million more than both players combined over the next two seasons, with him fitting far better than either. A projected starting five of Fox, Castle, Julian Champagnie, Markkanen, and Wembanyama would make plenty of sense given improved spacing.

They could even try to bring back Chris Paul using non-Bird rights. That would allow them to give him a slight pay raise over the $10.5 million he made this season without having to touch the MLE or the BLE.

In that scenario, the Spurs bench could include Paul, Tre Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, and whoever they might sign with the MLE. That would give them a solid bench that has plenty of shooting.

All told, it's still up in the air whether the Spurs will trade the second pick at the draft. The more likely scenario would be that they trade the 14th pick for Kevin Durant or another impact player, but we'll have to wait until the June 25th draft to find out.