Ah! American media simulates Spurs 3-for-1 trade! Markkanen teams up with Wembanyama

The American media proposed the following 3-for-1 trade scenario:

The Spurs would acquire Markkanen;

The Jazz would receive Sohan, Vassell, and Keldon Johnson.

In this year’s EuroBasket, Markkanen led Finland to the semifinals, posting averages of 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, and was named to the All-Tournament Second Team, joined by Jokic (Serbia), Avdija (Israel), Osman, and Lloyd (Poland).

The First Team consisted of Schroder (Germany), Doncic (Slovenia), Wagner Jr. (Germany), Antetokounmpo (Greece), and Sengun (Turkey).

Last season, Markkanen played for the Jazz, appearing in 47 regular season games, averaging 31.4 minutes, 19 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, shooting 42.3% from the field, 34.6% from three, and 87.6% from the line. His current contract runs through summer 2029,with salaries over the next four seasons projected at $46.39 million, $46.11 million, $49.82 million, and $53.54 million respectively.

Although Markkanen’s performance with the Jazz in the 24-25 season was underwhelming, he remains undoubtedly an NBA All-Star caliber big man. Bringing his talent to San Antonio would significantly boost the Spurs’ playoff chances, and his pairing with Wembanyama would form one of the league’s strongest twin towers.

Both Markkanen and Wembanyama are versatile big men who can play inside and out, able to handle the ball or operate off it, with no major position or usage conflicts. Especially with the Spurs currently having three talented guards (Fox, Castle, and Harper) to feed them, this lineup looks very promising and could make a strong impact in the competitive Western Conference.

However, previous reports indicate that the Jazz have set a high asking price for Markkanen. The Spurs’ offer of only three players would not meet their demands; they would need to add several draft picks, particularly first-rounders. Many teams covet this 28-year-old big man, and the Jazz will only negotiate seriously with the most sincere suitors.

In fact, last offseason, the Warriors came very close to acquiring Markkanen, but the deal fell through because they refused to part with Bojan Bogdanovic or Kuminga.