NBA Trade Rumors: 4 Incredibly bold moves to save Giannis' title window with Bucks

Could the Milwaukee Bucks get a young, promising player out of San Antonio?

Before we get into the meat of this deal, it's important to note that the heart of this idea revolves around the San Antonio Spurs coming to the conclusion that Keldon Johnson isn't a great fit next to Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. I'm not sure if the Spurs do believe that internally but there is a sense around the league that could suggest that. Over the last two seasons, Johnson's role with the Spurs has noticeably diminished. Johnson has gone from being a starter while averaging 33 minutes per game to coming off the bench and closer to 27 minutes per contest.

His production has also taken a deep over the last couple of seasons, averaging 22 points during the 2022-23 season to just 12 points per contest this year. As the Spurs continue to build around Wemby, you can't help but wonder if they'd be open to trading Johnson in an attempt to pivot in a new direction. If San Antonio wanted to get out of his contract, which has two years and $35 million left after this season, the Bucks could emerge as a potential trade partner for the team closer to the NBA Trade Deadline.

In this hypothetical pitch, the Bucks would get Johnson and send Brook Lopez, AJ Johnson, a pick swap, and a future second-round pick to the Spurs. This is not a great return for Johnson but at this point, it's hard to predict what his trade value would be on the open market. At the very least, the Spurs would get an intriguing young prospect with AJ Johnson and would get some cap relief with Lopez's expiring deal (which they could probably trade again before the deadline for another asset).

The Bucks would get a proven scorer in Keldon Johnson while the Spurs would be able to move on from him and pivot toward finding players that fit better next to Wemby. I'm not sure if Johnson would solve all the issues for Milwaukee this season but adding another scorer could go a long way in helping the Bucks break out of their early-season woes. Would the Spurs be open to such a move? Who knows. But you'd have to imagine, these are the types of moves the Bucks may be ready to gamble on.