Grade the Trade: Spurs land recent no. 2 pick in spicy proposed offseason deal with Rockets

Both the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are struggling through yet another season. The Spurs have a budding superstar in Victor Wembanyama but are still on pace to finish with the worst record in franchise history.

Meanwhile, the Rockets have been better than in recent seasons but are still far from competing. That leads us to a tantalizing proposed deal from Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report in which the Rockets send Jalen Green to the Spurs for Blake Wesley and a 2024 first-round pick via the Raptors.

Depending on which fanbase you ask, that trade could be lopsided in either Houston's or San Antonio's favor. Green hasn't had the season that many Rockets fans hoped for from him. He has been both inconsistent and inefficient, leading Houston to consider trading the 2021 2nd overall pick for help. 

Houston might be more willing to move on from Green knowing that they can select another player in the lottery and the Spurs are likely to receive the Raptors' pick in this year's draft and that could be as high as seventh overall. Still, the Rockets are looking to win now and may seek to trade him for a veteran.

Would the Rockets or Spurs agree to the proposed deal?

Of course, a team that has good veteran players is probably a playoff team and they probably wouldn't be willing to part with them for Green, who has potential but isn't exactly a winning player at the moment. In fact, Spurs fans could argue that they would be better off taking their chances on the draft rather than hoping that Green figures it out on a new team.

The Spurs' front office might agree too since Green will be eligible for an extension after this season and it seems unlikely that he'd be willing to come to terms with the Rockets—or Spurs—on a new deal.

That would lead to a pivotal fourth year for Green, where he could either impress or press, trying to earn a big new contract. Considering that the Spurs will likely have to pay Wembanyama, a monster rookie max extension in three short years, they would probably rather draft a cheap prospect with plenty of upside and wait to pay them until 2028.

Although Green is still a bit of a question mark at this point, he still has flashes of stardom, and Swartz is on the right track, but a better deal would be Green for Keldon Johnson straight up. Johnson is on an affordable contract for the next three seasons and is having a similarly disappointing season despite being a good young player.

Green has a higher ceiling, though Johnson has settled into a role that he is better suited for and is locked up for the next three seasons. However, for the proposed trade itself, it doesn't really make sense for either side. D-