Keldon Johnson has been a fixture for the Spurs for years, but his path in San Antonio is suddenly looking a lot less secure. He hasn’t received a contract extension, and second-apron concerns could keep the team from giving him one as he heads into the final year of his deal.
That creates an opening, and Carter Bryant is already positioned to step into it.
Bryant is slated to back up both Devin Vassell and Johnson at small forward next season, so the early minutes might be limited. But if his development keeps moving in the right direction, he could climb the rotation quickly and end up overtaking Johnson.
That wouldn’t be coming out of nowhere. Bryant’s rookie season was uneven at the start, with the young forward looking lost for the first couple of months before a short G-League stint changed the trajectory.
After that, he settled in, and the Spurs got a much clearer picture of what he can be. Even as a rookie, he showed he can hold his own defensively.
The shot came around too. Bryant knocked down 35.1% of his threes after the All-Star break and followed that with 41.4% from deep in the postseason. That kind of three-and-D profile is exactly the sort of thing teams spend forever trying to find.
Johnson still matters to this team, no question. He’s been one of the Spurs’ key pieces for a long time. But the combination of his contract situation and Bryant’s fit makes the future picture pretty clear.
The addition of Tobias Harris only tightens things further. Johnson logged more than 300 minutes at power forward, but with Harris in the mix, he’ll be almost entirely at small forward next season. Add in Vassell sharing those minutes and Bryant getting spot work at the three, and Johnson’s opportunities to prove he deserves another deal shrink even more.
The Spurs are obviously hoping Johnson bounces back after a rough playoff run, especially with a contract year ahead. The ideal outcome is simple: he plays better, helps San Antonio win a championship, and forces the team into a tougher decision.
But if Bryant keeps trending up, the Spurs may already have their answer waiting on the roster.
In Other News...
Former Spurs Coach Pushes Back On Easy Finals Collapse Explanation
Sean Sweeney is pushing back on the simple version of why the Spurs fell short against the Knicks in the NBA Finals. The former San Antonio associate head coach, now with the Orlando Magic, said the loss was not mainly about youth, pointing instead to the grind of the previous playoff rounds and the kind of execution problems that can pile up once the pressure tightens late.
That view also fits the way the Spurs had already handled adversity earlier in the postseason, when they clawed through difficult series and showed they could survive demanding moments. The difference in the Finals was their inability to protect leads when the margin got thin, and that is where San Antonio is now turning its attention this offseason, with the emphasis on sharper late-game clarity and better cohesion when every possession matters. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Harper Could Decide How Far The Spurs Really Go
Dylan Harpers rookie season gave the Spurs a useful glimpse of what he can already do for them. Coming off the bench, he averaged nearly four assists per game and finished in the top five among rookies in assists, which is a strong early sign for a young guard still carving out his place in the rotation. For a San Antonio team that has been looking for more reliable creation, Harpers passing already stands out as one of the cleaner parts of the picture.
The next step is less about flashing talent and more about handling the grind of half-court possessions, especially when games tighten and the offense slows down. Harper is expected to take on a bigger share of the playmaking load this season, and how much he grows in that area could matter far beyond his own development. If he can become steadier in those late-game moments, it would give the Spurs a much better chance of solving one of their lingering offensive problems. [Read more 🡒]