Spurs should steer clear of biggest star available before the trade deadline

I know that everybody has been enamored by Lauri Markkanen, and there's a swell in Spurs Nation for the front office to go after him, but I'm not convinced for several reasons. Whether he's an actual fit next to Victor Wembanyama is one of them, and I'm not sure there's been enough consideration for that part of the conversation. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Lauri Markkanen is not a sure thing

It doesn't help that the 7'0" forward from Finland played so well in EuroBasket. That only increased the call from fans to pair him with Wembanyama. But if the production from players in overseas tournaments was a clear indicator of how they'd perform consistently in the NBA, guys like Dennis Schroder would have been superstars.

But we still don't know what kind of player The Finnisher is. The first few years of his career were underwhelming, forcing the Chicago Bulls to bench him in his final season with the team that drafted him. He didn't offer much to Cleveland, who had just traded for him a year prior to shipping him off to Utah.

When he got to the Jazz, he finally broke out and had an awesome season, averaging 25 points per game and winning Most Improved Player. He had two seasons where he put up over 20 points per game, but he dropped to 19 last season and only played 47 games.

As a matter of fact, Markkanen has never played 70 games or more in the eight years he's been in the league. In his last three seasons, he went from playing 66 games to 55 to 47. The recent injury issue he dealt with was a lower back issue. That doesn't make me feel great about adding him to this roster.

Lauri is scheduled to make $46 million this season. He's entering the first year of a four-year deal that pays him more money as time goes on. That's a large commitment to a player who only truly showed star potential for two years before injuries began to hinder his abilities.

My final concern is about the man running the front office in Utah. Danny Ainge is known for squeezing as much as he can out of any deal he makes. He's going to demand a king's ransom for Markkanen, and there are just too many question marks to give up a haul for him.

The Spurs have a wealth of movable assets right now. As they get ready to begin the season, they'd be smart to see what pecking order shakes out before getting aggressive at the trade deadline. But they shouldn't look at Utah for the next upgrade to the roster. There are just too many variables.