An ambitious trade surfaces: Spurs send promising talent for Donovan Mitchell, aiming to unleash a Wembanyama-led championship contention. But does San Antonio even need it?
The San Antonio Spurs have found themselves in second place in the Western Conference, just three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As a result, some believe the team should go all in on winning a championship in the next couple of seasons.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, he picks what he thinks is the "perfect" trade that every NBA team could make this offseason. For the No. 2 seed in the West, he thinks they should deal Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, and multiple first-rounders to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.
"If the Cavs crash and burn in the playoffs and Mitchell refuses to sign an extension, Cleveland may be forced to listen to trade offers before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2027," Swartz writes. "The Spurs have proven that they're ready to start competing for championships, yet could use more playoff experience on the roster. A core of Victor Wembanyama, Mitchell, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and others would be terrifying to face on both ends of the ball."
Mitchell would instantly become one of the most accomplished players on the roster. A proven playoff performer and elite scorer. Pairing him with Wembanyama would create one of the most dynamic inside-out duos in the league.
The seven-time All-Star is putting up an impressive 28 points and six assists per game on some very solid shooting percentages. And he is also doing so while missing just eight games, showing that the best ability is availability.
A trade for a player of Mitchell's caliber could possibly make the Spurs even scarier than they already are, if that's even possible.
But does San Antonio really need that?
Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in this past year's draft, is viewed as a potential future star, while Vassell has already developed into a reliable scorer and shooter. Giving up both—plus valuable draft capital—would significantly reduce San Antonio’s long-term flexibility.
That raises the biggest question: are the Spurs truly at that stage yet?
How much better could the team truly get? They have won 18 of their last 20 games, and are currently one of, if not the hottest teams in the entire league. And they are doing all of this while being one of the younger teams.
Still, it’s easy to see the appeal. Stars win in the NBA, and pairing a proven scorer like Mitchell with a generational talent like Wembanyama could fast-track San Antonio into the Western Conference elite.
But they may already be there now.