Spurs Tracking Lauri Markkanen

The San Antonio Spurs are making headlines for all the right reasons this summer. After drafting defensive standout and proven winner Stephon Castle, the Spurs signed Chris Paul on a one-year contract to mentor him.

However, a starting five of Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Castle, and Paul is not likely to win an NBA championship, despite Wemby already dominating the league.

If the Spurs can swing a trade for an All-Star with a scoring punch, they might become favorites to make the playoffs.

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According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Spurs are in the fray to land Lauri Markkanen. The Spurs have been linked to the Finnish sharpshooter for months now, but as trade season comes up, he could find a new home.

"I think Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz is available on the trade market, [the Warriors] are definitely investigating that," said Windhorst. "Whether or not they can make that work or not is to be seen. There's some other teams that are looking at Markkanen. I think San Antonio is one of them."

The Golden State Warriors lost Paul, are going to lose Klay Thompson, and whiffed on Paul George's free agency. If they fail to land a star like Markkanen, they could squander what is left of Stephen Curry's career.

The Spurs can offer the Utah Jazz Keldon Johnson and a huge haul of picks for Lauri, although it's worth noting that Markkanen can walk in free agency next summer if the Spurs fail to extend him, so a sign-and-trade would be more likely.

Markkanen averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and two assists, and shot 39.9 percent from the floor. Adding a tried-and-true floor spacing forward next to Wembanyama would give the Spurs ultimate flexibility, and it would allow them to move either Vassell, Sochan, or Castle to the bench and bolster their second unit.

If the Spurs swing a trade for Markkanen, expect talks of a title to gain some serious traction.