NBA Trade Rumors: Spurs, Rockets Swap Veteran for Top Pick?

The Houston Rockets are listening to offers for the No. 4 pick. Could the San Antonio Spurs help out their Texas rival?

Jeremy Brener | May 31, 2023

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The Houston Rockets could be fielding offers for the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft.

Among the teams that would be interested in acquiring the pick would be the San Antonio Spurs, who already hold the No. 1 pick and should select Victor Wembanyama. However, the Spurs could look to add a point guard in the lottery to pair with him ... and the Rockets could help them out.

In a trade proposed by The Athletic, the Spurs would send Keldon Johnson to the Rockets for the No. 4 pick in this year's draft and a top-three protected pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

"Johnson had the ball in his hands quite a bit in San Antonio but he showcased some legit off-ball potential at times and could be the answer at small forward for a Rockets team that frankly hasn’t had one in years," The Athletic writes. "Johnson’s contract is front-loaded, meaning Houston’s cap hit reduces with every year — a valuable tool considering what the 2024 class and the looming TV deal could bring. The only drawback is his wingspan isn’t great for his size and he didn’t show much defensively last season but that might be more of San Antonio’s general nastiness more so than his own ability and potential."

Johnson would be a much more immediate contributor than whoever the Rockets would draft at No. 4, but it's hard to see two rivals like Houston and San Antonio work to get a deal of this magnitude done.

Should the Spurs take this deal, they would likely try and pair Wembanyama with Amen Thompson or Scoot Henderson if he's still on the board ... and that would set up the Rockets' biggest rival for years.

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Published May 31, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.