NBA Draft Rumors: Spurs Trade Keldon Johnson for Top 5 Pick?

The San Antonio Spurs could be wheeling and dealing during the NBA Draft, and a trade cannot be ruled out.

Jeremy Brener | May 27, 2023

NBA Draft Rumors: Spurs Trade Keldon Johnson for Top 5 Pick? /

In this story:

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are going to take Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick, but they might not be done adding rookies in the NBA Draft.

It may behoove the Spurs to add someone who can complement Wembanyama and have them develop together.

The Athletic proposed a trade that would give the Spurs the No. 4 pick from the Houston Rockets, along with an additional first-round pick in 2025 (top-three protected) for Keldon Johnson.

"As good as Johnson is now, there may be a higher ceiling for one of Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller, Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Taylor Hendricks or Anthony Black," The Athletic writes. "Whitmore, in particular, has a similar profile to Johnson when Johnson was draft eligible. The Spurs don’t have to go the route of replacing Johnson with the Houston pick, however, and could improve their wing and playmaking with one of the Thompson twins or if Henderson or Miller unexpectedly drop to No. 4."

Adding another pick in the first round makes sense for the Spurs, especially if they are going to draft a point guard, arguably San Antonio's biggest position of need with Tre Jones testing free agency. The price to trade back into the top five is steep, costing the Spurs their leading scorer. However, to pair Amen Thompson or perhaps Scoot Henderson with Wembanyama may be too enticing to pass up.

However, what feels more likely is a trade that doesn't cost the Spurs a player like Johnson. Maybe a trade into the back half of the lottery for someone like Kentucky's Cason Wallace or into the late first round for Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino makes more sense?

That being said, this trade does a good job in illustrating the idea that San Antonio could very well be busy making deals in the first round of the draft.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.

Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.

Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.

Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the SI.com team page here

Published May 27, 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.