San Antonio Spurs Receive:

Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz Receive:

Malaki Branham, Keldon Johnson, Atlanta's 2025 first-round pick, Charlotte's 2025 first-round pick (lottery protection; turns into 2026 and 2027 seconds if not conveyed), Atlanta's 2027 first-round pick, San Antonio's 2029 first-round pick (top-five protection)

Will the Jazz move Markkanen this summer? Renegotiate-and-extend him on Aug. 6 and then deal him on Feb. 6, the NBA's trade deadline and first allowable date he could be shipped out? Will they simply keep him? Everything appears to be on the table. Utah almost certainly won't relinquish Markkanen without a Godfather offer. This package from the Spurs feels Godfather-adjacent. Jazz fans will argue it doesn't effectively compare to the haul Brooklyn brokered for Mikal Bridges. Utah is getting four firsts instead of five, but one of them (via Charlotte) likely won't convey, and this proposal doesn't feature any swaps. Those are all fair rebukes. But Bridges isn't a perfect analog for Markkanen. Not only does he have an extra year on his deal, but because he was joining his Villanova buddies in the Big Apple, you can envision a scenario in which he takes less than market value to stick around. Markkanen, on the other hand, will likely require max or near-max money next summer. On top of all that: A 24-year-old Johnson with two years and $36.5 million left on his contract is more valuable than a 35-year-old Bojan Bogdanović on an expiring deal. The Jazz are also receiving a real prospect in Branham. (His efficiency dipped inside the arc last year, but the speedball push-shot remains intriguing.) So go ahead and frame this as Branham, Johnson, three firsts and two seconds. It won't be the "This offer actually sucks!" flex you think that it is. If anything, the Spurs could be the more hesitant party. Markkanen and Victor Wembanyama are a divine fit up front. But sending out a 2029 first-rounder of your own coming off a 22-win campaign is aggressive. Wemby is good enough to justify the dice roll. And San Antonio will have plenty of arrows left in its quiver. At the same time, don't be surprised if the Spurs insist on haggling over finer points—like including Zach Collins or Harrison Barnes instead of Johnson, changing up the picks, removing Branham, etc.