Spurs Reportedly Sought Trade to Pair Victor Wembanyama With All-Star 7-Footer

The best way to amplify Victor Wembanyama's unprecedented two-way skill set? Pairing the 7-foot-4 French wunderkind with another sweet-shooting seven-footer who impacts the game at multiple levels defensively.

For the sake of the rest of the NBA going forward, let's hope any more efforts the San Antonio Spurs make to bring in Lauri Markkanen prove just as fruitless as they did in the past.

ESPN's Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon reported on Monday that San Antonio held "preliminary discussions" with the Utah Jazz early this summer on a trade that would have landed Markkanen in the Alamo City.

More ammo supporting the notion the Spurs have eyes for the Finnish star? They apparently hoped to acquire Markkanen in restricted free agency back in 2021 and have harbored interest in him ever since, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

Markkanen has developed into a star with the Jazz over the last two years, earning his first All-Star berth and Most Improved Player honors in 2023-24. He averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season, further establishing himself as one of the most efficient and versatile play finishers in the NBA.

The rebuilding Jazz finally put Markkanen on the trade market this summer, but the team has maintained an exorbitant asking price in discussions with interested suitors. If Markkanen signs a contract extension with Utah any time after August 6, he won't be eligible to be traded until next offseason—potentially putting San Antonio back in the mix to acquire the 27-year-old.

The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings have been the teams most actively pursuing a Markkanen trade of late, according to reports. However, all signs now point to him putting pen to paper on a new contract after August 6, keeping Markkanen in Salt Lake City for the duration of 2024-25.

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