Keldon Johnson’s status with the Spurs feels like one of those situations that could clarify itself fast once the season starts.
He still hasn’t signed a contract extension, so he looks set to open the year without one. That leaves his future in San Antonio hanging in the balance, especially after the moves the Spurs made this offseason.
By extending Julian Champagnie and bringing in Tobias Harris, San Antonio has basically closed off Johnson’s path to playing power forward this season. That likely means fewer minutes, though exactly how much less remains to be seen.
The first real clue should come early. If Johnson’s workload looks close to what it was last season, that points toward him staying put through the year. If his role shrinks noticeably, he could become a trade-deadline name.
There’s also the possibility that he slides in behind Devin Vassell, which would fit better with Johnson’s natural position anyway. He has always looked more like a small forward than a four.
Still, last season showed how much the Spurs leaned on him. Johnson logged 16% of his minutes at power forward, according to Basketball Reference. Strip that out and his average would fall to around 19 minutes per game if he played only the three.
That’s a tough number for most players, but Johnson brings enough juice to make it work. He’s the kind of relentless, nonstop presence teams love having in a regular-season rotation.
He isn’t just running hard because he has to cover for flaws, either. Johnson has real talent, and that combination of effort and ability gives him real value.
He also brings durability, which matters more than people sometimes admit. Last season, he played 105 games between the regular season and the playoffs.
The catch is that his game hasn’t translated as cleanly when the games get tighter. A 6'8" version of Johnson would create serious problems for opponents, but at 6'4", energy and talent can only carry him so far.
The playoff evidence backs that up. The Spurs ran into the 12th-, 8th-, 1st-, and 7th-ranked defenses during their postseason run, and Johnson struggled against all four.
That helps explain why an extension still hasn’t happened. Even so, unless San Antonio makes a major midseason move, he may still spend the whole season with the team.
For now, the Spurs seem likely to ask Johnson to accept a smaller role and keep bringing the same edge. If he does that, he could help them chase a championship in what might be his final season in San Antonio.
In Other News...
Wembanyama Has One Concern Spurs Fans Cant Ignore Anymore
Victor Wembanyama spent most of his rise in San Antonio as the kind of star fans could center a franchise around without hesitation, but the tone around him shifted during the 2026 NBA Finals. The Spurs centerpiece was suddenly being viewed through a different lens after a series against the New York Knicks that changed the conversation far beyond the box score, especially as New York celebrated its first title in 53 years.
What makes the concern linger now is not just the fallout from that loss, but what it says about where Wembanyamas head is heading into the 2026-27 season. He remains the player the Spurs need to build around, yet his mindset and approach after such a public turn in sentiment are not fully clear, and for a fan base that has already invested so much in him, that uncertainty matters. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Have A Guard Logjam That Could Shape Their Next Few Years
Dylan Harpers first taste of Spurs basketball has only sharpened the conversation around a crowded backcourt. Jared Weiss of The Athletic noted that Harper looked good coming off the bench, but San Antonio already has a clear lead guard in DeAaron Fox, whose place in the starting lineup is secure after signing a four-year maximum extension last summer. That leaves the Spurs with a rotation that is suddenly deep, young and full of overlap at the guard spots.
For now, the bigger question is not whether Harper can help, but how the Spurs sort out their long-term guard core. Scouts around the league see Harper and Stephon Castle as key pieces of the franchises future, with both expected to be part of the organizations plans for the foreseeable future. The challenge for San Antonio is the kind most teams would welcome, though it still invites plenty of debate about who gets the ball, who develops fastest and how the roster eventually settles around its emerging talent. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Finally Have The Depth Wembanyama Has Needed
The Spurs spent the offseason making a clear point of emphasis around Victor Wembanyama, and it shows in how the roster is taking shape around him. Tobias Harris gives San Antonio another experienced frontcourt option, while Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance add more bodies and more size up front, changes that should give the team a lot more lineup flexibility than it had before.
For a club that has also built out a strong backcourt with De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, the appeal is obvious: fewer stopgap minutes and a better chance to stay afloat when Wembanyama is off the floor. Health and rest will always matter with a player this important, but the Spurs at least look better prepared to absorb those absences than they did a year ago. [Read more 🡒]