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The San Antonio Spurs' 2024-25 regular season ended with a story of long-winded heartbreak, as the team finished with a disappointing 34-48 record to miss out on the postseason for a sixth consecutive year.
Despite possessing the reigning 2023 Rookie of the Year and front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year in Victor Wembanyama, the eventual 2024 Rookie of the Year winner Stephon Castle and pulling off a blockbuster mid-season trade to land ex-Sacramento Kings superstar De'Aaron Fox, the group fell to the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference with a 34-48 record.
Though San Antonio did not wind up in playoff of Play-In Tournament range come season's end, the franchise's luck could turn instantaneously due to the possible trade availability of one Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the Milwaukee Bucks recently suffered a brutal five-game first-round postseason defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
With Antetokounmpo's future with the Bucks heavily in question and the trade rumor mill swirling following the franchise's third consecutive first-round elimination, recent reports have indicated that the Spurs could take a swing for the fences and negotiate a seismic trade to land the 2-time league MVP and form one of the greatest frontcourt pairings in the history of the league with Wembanyama.
"If Giannis and Victor Wembanyama had joined forces in San Antonio 200 years ago, Texas might have been able to defend the Alamo," The Ringer's Isaac Levy-Rubinett wrote Wednesday morning.
"Alas, let’s pair them now and unleash the most devastating defensive duo in recent NBA history."
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"Together, Wemby and Giannis have over 15 feet of wingspan. They are defensive game breakers and the two most dominant paint scorers in the league."
"There isn’t a more compelling basketball situation for Giannis; the only questions are whether the Spurs would pursue such an aggressive tack and whether they have the assets to win a bidding war."
In a hypothetical summer trade, Levy-Rubinett suggests that San Antonio might be able to get a deal for Antetokounmpo across the finish line by offering to ship the reigning 2024 Rookie of the Year Castle, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and a 'plethora' of draft picks and swaps back to Milwaukee.
At just 30 years old, the 2021 NBA champion and Finals MVP has reached a true crossroads with the Bucks organization, especially after his aging superstar teammate Damian Lillard suffered a torn achilles during Milwaukee's 129-103 defeat in Game 4 against Indiana on Sunday.
The future Hall of Fame inductee authored one of his greatest statistical seasons yet, contributing 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 60.1% from the field in 2024-25.
His counted stats on the offensive end should not sell his incredible defensive abilities short, as the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year recipient also rejected 1.2 shots, swiped 0.9 steals and compiled a ridiculous 109 defensive rating per 100 possessions.
If paired in the same frontcourt as the 7-foot-4 first-time All-Star Wembanyama, who averaged an astonishing 3.8 blocks in 46 games this past season, there's no telling how dominant the Spurs' defense could become over the next half-decade.
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