Youth is getting the best of the San Antonio Spurs at every level of these NBA Finals, culminating in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history in Game 4. For almost everyone involved, including head coach Mitch Johnson, this is their first time in the NBA postseason, which often brings battle scars, heartbreak, and more often than not, defeat. But could that hardship be enough for the Spurs to reconsider their involvement in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga?
San Antonio isn't a team that makes rash decisions easily, but a Wembanyama/Antetokounmpo pairing does make sense from a basketball perspective. As shown during these NBA Finals, for as incredibly gifted as he is, Wemby still has a long way to go in learning how to be a true center. All postseason, Spurs fans have come to the obvious conclusion that the team desperately needs another frontcourt player who can complement Wembanyama and hold on to leads when he comes off the floor.
That should be music to the Milwaukee Bucks' ears, as San Antonio is one of the few franchises equipped with the assets to pull off a Giannis trade without truly gutting their roster or erasing their future. So if GM Jon Horst is paying attention to what's happening to the Spurs in these close end-of-game losses, he might want to make a call to Brian Wright.
If a Giannis trade is truly inevitable, the San Antonio Spurs have the best trade options available.
Months ago, including Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle in a potential Giannis trade seemed like an inevitability if the Spurs were to get involved. Still, after what they've shown in their first playoff run, there's no way San Antonio lets go of its dynamic young guards. Instead, however, they might be inclined to offer a pick-heavy trade proposal in an era when everyone else is scared to trade firsts.
Even without including either of those young stars, San Antonio has one of the most compelling offers the Bucks could ask for. They have control of almost all their future first-round picks, the 20th pick in this year's draft, and swap rights with teams throughout the NBA through 2031. They also have a plethora of incoming second-round picks to help Horst replenish his asset pool for the future.
San Antonio could match Giannis' salary by including either De'Aaron Fox or Devin Vassell + Keldon Johnson, plus their rookie lottery pick, Carter Bryant, along with a haul of draft picks for Giannis. Any of those three players could play for the Bucks or be flipped for more young players/future assets — whether that be by expanding this trade framework or down the road.
From the Bucks' perspective, it's a sizable proposition that lets you reshape your future and helps replenish some of the assets they lost while trying to retool around Giannis. And for the Greek Freak? An instant opportunity to contend for an NBA championship, immediately forming one of, if not the single most unguardable duo in basketball history.
At the end of the day, the prevailing hope in Milwaukee is that Giannis and the Bucks realize they don't need to part ways given the unsteady nature of the Eastern Conference. With a new contending force arising in the conference each year, a retooled Bucks roster built around the tail end of Giannis' prime can still win a championship in this era.
But if the saga is really over and it's time for them to part ways, Giannis and the Bucks could both find some of what they're looking for in a trade with San Antonio.
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