When it comes to a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes, the San Antonio Spurs are often viewed as potential dark horse candidates to pursue the Greek Freak.
As ESPN recently noted, pairing Antetokounmpo with the young superstar Victor Wembanyama would “make for the most fascinating basketball experiment.”
The Spurs are on the younger side, but the assets they carry would certainly give San Antonio’s front office a shot to put together one of the most competitive offers in a potential Antetokounmpo trade market.
What Would a Spurs-Bucks Swap Look Like?
ESPN recently put together several scenarios for the Antetokounmpo market, imagining what it would take for the Spurs to land one of the league’s most prolific veterans.
The cost could look something like three first-round picks, with the earliest in 2027. Jordan McLaughlin, Kelly Olynyk, Harrison Barnes, and Stephon Castle as the headliner.
Too Great to Pass Up?
The Spurs are known to value the latest Rookie of the Year highly. Stephon Castle has been putting together another promising run by posting averages of 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists.
Since his award-winning debut year, Castle has been recognized as a potential untouchable prospect in San Antonio. However, the NBA has proved that there are very few of those, if any at all. Last year’s Lakers-Mavericks deal proved that anything can happen.
Castle has shown a lot of promise, but Antetokounmpo is a surefire win-now piece. He was the face of a championship-winning team a few years back, and he remains one of the NBA’s most dominant players when healthy.
Before dealing with two ailments this year, Antetokounmpo was teasing another potential MVP run. In 17 games this season, the veteran forward has averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
The Spurs would give up a lot of important assets for the future in this hypothetical deal, but they would have at least one and a half guaranteed seasons with Antetokounmpo. In 2027-2028, Antetokounmpo has a $62 million player option.
Wembanyama has been in the NBA for two seasons and hasn’t had a chance to reach the playoffs just yet. So far, San Antonio looks like a playoff contender at 15-7, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. Their status as potential championship contenders is a question mark, but the presence of Antetokounmpo would likely erase that.
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