Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Could Spurs Get Top-5 Pick For Keldon Johnson?
The San Antonio Spurs have a positive veteran to build around in Keldon Johnson.
Johnson, 23, averaged a career-best 22 points per game and was often seen as a leader for one of the youngest rosters in the league.
But, for a team like the Spurs looking to acquire as many assets as possible, Johnson could be seen as a trade asset towards a team looking for win-now pieces like the Portland Trail Blazers.
"That could mean sending Keldon Johnson to the Portland Trail Blazers in a package for their 2023 first-rounder, which should land within the top five," Bleacher Report writes. "Johnson profiles as a solid starter, and San Antonio shouldn't surrender him lightly. But a top-five pick should yield someone with more potential."
The Blazers currently hold the fifth-best odds for the No. 1 pick and could easily yield a top selection. Portland may look to trade its pick if it isn't atop the draft and San Antonio could be a destination for that selection.
Would trading Johnson be worth the potential a top-5 pick could bring? Absolutely.
Johnson's four-year contract extension kicks in next season. Instead of costing $3.8 million, he will make $20 million. And while the Spurs have the cap space to keep a player at Johnson's price, San Antonio may benefit from selling high when the iron is hot.
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.
