The 2021 offseason wasn't the rosiest for the San Antonio Spurs. Amid all their struggles for the past two seasons, they lost DeMar DeRozan and Patty Mills — two foundational pieces that they can continue to build around. However, things don't always pan out the way fans or analysts would wish. From the looks of it, the Spurs are looking to build from scratch. They want to start anew with some of their current young guns and ones from the draft.
Amid these seeming plans, it still feels like the Spurs could've done more in the offseason. They could've been more active in chasing some midtier names from the free agency market. They were even linked to a Ben Simmons trade for a few weeks but unfortunately, nothing came to fruition. Speaking of Simmons, this leads us to what exactly the Spurs need to address after their relatively conservative offseason campaign. Obviously, they can no longer acquire a player like him (or Simmons himself) as the market has dried out. But there's still a player who they can get then develop into a focal piece and maybe even the future of their franchise.
Spurs Needs: Add A Potential Star
Looking at the Spurs roster, several names stand out like Keldon Johnson, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, among others. Joshua Primo, the team's 12th overall pick, has been raising eyebrows for his performance in the summer league. The problem with these players is that they may or may not bloom into franchise star that the Spurs need. Yes, they are very talented and the Spurs did a good job at acquiring these young guns. But the reality is, there's a lot of factors that may come up. Besides, the Spurs have a pretty malleable roster right now. They can afford to experiment a bit with the ultimate goal of finding their identity.
Among the players available (that is, willing to start anew), Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen is the one who stands out. He's currently a restricted free agent and wants a fresh start somewhere else. Chicago Bulls fans are well aware that Markannen wants a bigger role and a heftier money bag. The organization, for some reason, did not want to honor Lauri's wishes.
Markannen may be one of those players who'll suddenly turn into a star after a change in scenery. Looking at his numbers, he averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in his second year in the league. His statistics dipped due to a number of factors. One could be the re-centering of the offense to Zach LaVine. Another could be the Bulls' horrendous season with Jim Boylen. Whatever the case may be, safe to say that Markannen's rise was cut short by a bunch things out of his control.
Maybe Markannen is right. He needs a fresh start, a new team to get back on track. A look at recent NBA history reveals some players who have turned a corner after being traded or signing to a different team. Jimmy Butler, amid all his controversies with the Minnesota Timberwolves and his stint with the 76ers, was embraced by the Miami Heat. Another case is Victor Oladipo, a lottery pick who seemed to be stuck in limbo in his first four years. But when he was given the keys in Indiana, he just bloomed into an All-Star. Markannen may or may not be that guy. But the Spurs should at least consider looking into it.
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