Spurs veteran put on notice after draft lottery prayers answered

Now that this year's draft assets have been finalized after that insane lottery ride, San Antonio can begin seriously searching for roster upgrades, and one of those upgrades will likely cost them Keldon Johnson.

Johnson played well in the second half of the season, reducing his turnovers and raising his three-point percentage. His play will only make him a more valuable trade piece to teams who will also value his team-friendly contract.

He won't be the only one moved, but he's the one whose trade will be felt the most by Spurs fans. KJ has been in San Antonio for six seasons. His love for the organization and the city are obvious, and Spurs' Nation loves him for who he is.

The NBA is a business, though. Not everyone gets to stay on one team forever, and with reports that the SAS will be aggressive this offseason, Johnson is an obvious candidate to be dealt.

San Antonio can make significant upgrades to their roster now

Brian Wright won't want to include Stephon Castle in any deals, and with these draft picks, he shouldn't have to. This draft is too good to act like receiving two lottery selections—especially if we gave up the number two pick—wouldn't be a significant portion of any offer.

If they put together a package with some combination of these two 2025 first-round picks, Atlanta's 2027 first-rounder, and a 2030 first-round pick swap, along with Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Harrison Barnes, San Antonio should be able to get a deal done for almost anyone.

Devin Vassell didn't live up to his contract last season, but it's still a good deal considering the cap increase coming in a couple of seasons. He still projects to be a solid rotation piece who has time to reach a higher ceiling than we've seen since he's only 25 years old.

That possibility alone would be enough to keep him if the Spurs weren't ready to start competing, but they can't afford to be that patient any longer. Victor Wembanyama is too good. It would be irresponsible not to do everything you could to get more established players around him when he's already reached top-10 status in the league.

Keldon's deal will be even easier to move. He made $19 million last season, and that number drops to $17.5 million for the next two years. Local reporters have been pointing to this offseason as the target summer for increased aggression for the past year. National reporters are just now getting on board.

Whether they're able to pull off a deal for the biggest name potentially on the market or some other significant move to change the prospects of this team, I can't see a big trade happen that doesn't involve KJ.