League sources think Spurs’ Keldon Johnson could be available for trade this season

The San Antonio Spurs were thrilled to have the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Victor Wembanyama was a highly coveted player and they were lucky enough to land him. Individually, Wembanyama is having a stellar rookie season and is playing at a high level. However, San Antonio has struggled to succeed as a team in 2023-24. 

Through 23 games this season, the team is 3-20. They’re currently on an 18-game losing streak. Seemingly, that’s not the longest in the NBA this season. San Antonio is evaluating the talent they have around Wembanayma and who fits what they’re looking to do in the future, ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that Keldon Johnson could be the odd man out and someone that the Spurs could potentially trade this season.

Is Keldon Johnson a player the Spurs are serious about trading?

Keldon Johnson is a name to watch on the market, per @MarcJSpears

“You know who I got my eye on with the Spurs? Keldon Johnson I keep hearing this buzz about, ‘Not sure if he fits in well with this group going forward and should he be coming off the bench.’” pic.twitter.com/7T1PNUqux9

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 14, 2023

For the most part, head coach Gregg Popovich has used the same starting lineup for most of the season so far. However, in San Antonio’s past few games, Zach Collins has come off the bench after starting the first 20 games. Additionally, the team stopped using Jeremy Sochan as their primary PG. The Spurs are trying to evaluate their talent around Wembanyama. Essentially, the Spurs are trying to see what works this season and they are willing to lose games in the process.

Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer noted that the Spurs have a surplus of wing players on their current roster. That is something they may look to change as the trade deadline approaches on February 8th. You may say it’s too early to think about trades, but teams are behind the eight ball if they are not already thinking about trade scenarios down the line. Keldon Johnson could be a player that the Spurs look to move before 2/8.

Keldon Johnson tonight:

28 PTS
8 AST
5 REB
10-14 FG
4-4 3P 🎯

THAT’S WHAT WE NEED. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/quStzhh1hb

— Spurs_Muse (@spurs_muse) December 14, 2023

While Marc Spears of ESPN thinks Johnson could be on the trade block, the 24-year-old is still giving the team solid production this season. In 2022-23, he averaged a career-high (22.0) points per game. That number is down to (17.2) points per game in 2023-24. That’s only because Victor Wembanyama demands the ball a lot for the Spurs. Johnson is averaging nearly four fewer field goal attempts this season.