Spurs take first step to dethrone Knicks in bold proposed trade with Mavs' help

After coming so close to winning a championship, the San Antonio Spurs must go back to the drawing board to improve their roster. That could mean they make a trade or two this summer, and team veteran Keldon Johnson could find himself on the trade block.

The thought of trading Johnson, who has been a mainstay with the team for seven seasons, would be difficult to bear for many Spurs fans. Especially after him having won Sixth Man of the Year.

Nevertheless, his flaws reared their ugly head in the playoffs. Therefore, the Spurs should strongly consider trading him.

Better yet, they wouldn't having to look far for a potential upgrade. The Dallas Mavericks probably aren't lining up to help the Spurs get better, but there may be a trade that could help both teams.

Proposed Spurs trade sends Keldon Johnson to the Mavs

The proposed trade would see the Spurs ship Johnson to Dallas for PJ Washington and the 30th pick. Additionally, the Spurs would send the Mavs the 20th pick in this year's draft and relinquish swap rights to the Mavs' 2030 first-round pick.

Swapping Johnson out for Washington would give the Spurs more size, with him being three inches taller and having a massive 7'3 wing span. Washington would give them more defensive versatility with him able to guard multiple positions and averaging an impressive 2.2 stocks last season.

Washington is also a career 35.4% 3-point shooter on 4.8 attempts per game. Having a player who is actually power forward size would solve a key roster flaw. Remember, the Spurs often had Johnson guard bigger players as a physical 6'4" wing.

As far as cost, the Spurs would have to trade back 10 spots in this year's draft as well as give up the swap rights they acquired in the Grant Williams trade. That shouldn't be a big deal with the Mavs expected to be good in 2030.

The Spurs would miss Keldon Johnson but need PJ Washington

Johnson struggled to score in the playoffs against good defensive teams better equipped to keep him out of the paint. Even still, he often tried to go one on three and showed the same tunnel vision that plagued him early on in his career.

To his credit, his three-point shooting held up in the postseason, and he did have a strong Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even so, he was largely ineffective for the rest of the playoffs.

Especially defensively with him often fouling when the opposing team was in the bonus. San Antonio could've still won a championship in spite of him being a shell of himself in the playoffs.

Then again, seeking to upgrade at power forward by trading for Washington is the perfect low-cost move that would take an already great team and make it even better.

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