Grade the trade: Hornets flip Gordon Hayward for budding star in mock trade

Would the San Antonio Spurs send Keldon Johnson to the Hornets?

It’s Victor Wembanyama season in San Antonio. Frankly, nothing other than developing and acclimating the franchise’s latest cornerstone matters. It’s unfair to expect Wembanyama to hit the ground running and lead the team to the postseason during his rookie year in a new country.

Adding a veteran wing presence like Hayward, who can help keep certain lineups afloat, and provide some veteran leadership in the locker room, could be appealing to San Antonio. What’s more appealing, though, is their ability to retain cap space heading into next summer, where they could become players in a deep free-agency market.

Keldon Johnson has been one of the Spurs’ most reliable players in recent seasons and, at times, has looked like one of their future stars. However, Wembanyam’s arrival changes how the Spurs will look to build their next contending team, and they may see Johnson as a player that could help facilitate that by being traded. The future draft capital the Hornets will offer will also entice a franchise that is notoriously good at finding talent mid-to-late lottery.

San Antonio is more likely to resist moving Johnson than what the Hornets would be with Hayward, but this deal makes sense for the Spurs as much as it does for Charlotte. The front office may take some convincing, and another second-round pick might be needed to sweeten the deal, but there’s a world where this move could get over the line.