De’Aaron Fox is still being treated as part of the Spurs’ plan in San Antonio, but that stance could become the thing that determines Keldon Johnson’s future with the team.
For Johnson, the path back into a major role is tied to how the Spurs handle Fox after this season. If Fox is moved, Dylan Harper would move into the starting five, and the conversation would shift toward who can keep the bench productive. That is where Johnson could suddenly matter again in a very real way.
Johnson is in a strange spot. He’s the longest-tenured player on the roster, he just won Sixth Man of the Year, and he’s now heading into the final year of his contract without a new deal in place. After writing a heartfelt letter to the fans, he’s made it clear he wants to stay in San Antonio.
But staying might depend on the Spurs getting one scenario right and another one wrong. The team has said Fox is part of its future, yet his finish in the NBA Finals leaves room for questions.
Some are willing to excuse most of what happened because of his ankle injury, and because it was his first run that deep into the postseason. Still, if he struggles again in the playoffs next year, the conversation changes fast.
There’s also the fit issue. That three-guard lineup didn’t work much last year, and if Harper develops the way people expect but the Spurs keep running into lineup awkwardness, the front office could start wondering whether the long-term partnership makes sense.
If that kind of doubt sets in, the Spurs would need their bench to remain a weapon. Johnson’s case is already built for that.
He just put up 13 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes a night while shooting 52% from the field. He’s the reigning 6MOY, and he also set a franchise record with 1,081 points off the bench, passing the mark Manu Ginobili had held since 2007-08.
That matters because if Fox is eventually moved and Harper takes over as a starter, San Antonio will need exactly what Johnson has been giving them: a scorer who can come off the bench cold and put points on the board without the offense needing to be built around him. As it stands, nobody else on the roster, pre-Tobias Harris, has shown they can do that at Johnson’s level.
The timing makes this even trickier. Johnson’s four-year, $80 million extension expires after this season, so the Spurs could be trying to work out a new deal for their own Sixth Man of the Year at the same time they’re trying to sort out one of the bigger roster questions they have. That creates real risk, especially if they let him walk for nothing.
For now, the best path forward depends on patience from both sides. Johnson’s desire to stay in San Antonio gives the Spurs something to work with, and if the roster starts shifting around Fox, that love for the city could end up helping keep KJ in place.
In Other News...
Victor Wembanyama Is Forcing A New NBA Debate Spurs Fans Will Love
Victor Wembanyamas rise has already changed the conversation around the Spurs, but it also appears to be changing the wider NBA one. The 7-foot-4 phenom has become the kind of two-way force that bends games to his will, and as San Antonio has moved back into the picture as a real contender, his presence has made the franchise feel relevant in a way it has not in years.
What makes the latest wave of praise interesting is where it is coming from. Stephen A. Smith, who once said an international player could never be the face of the league, has now gone in the opposite direction as Wembanyamas reputation has exploded. For Spurs fans, that kind of turn is more than media chatter, it is another sign that the league is beginning to treat their cornerstone like the superstar driving the next great NBA debate. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Already Have A Wembanyama Problem They Can't Ignore
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That is where the long-term concern starts to creep in for the Spurs. Wembanyama is already the centerpiece, but Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle give the franchise two more promising young guards to develop, and DeAaron Foxs extension adds another layer to the roster picture as the team looks ahead. The talent is there, but fitting all of it together around one star is going to take some careful decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Face A Risky Trade Debate Around De'Aaron Fox
The Spurs offseason decision-making has already been shaped by the kind of long view this front office tends to favor, and a new trade rumor only sharpens that conversation. The framework floating around would put DeAaron Fox and Keldon Johnson in play, which is enough to make any San Antonio discussion more complicated, especially when the team is still sorting out how aggressively it wants to chase immediate help versus continuing to build around its younger pieces.
Paul George is the name that makes the proposal tempting on paper, but also the one that raises the most caution. His talent is obvious, yet the injury history is hard to ignore, and the financial commitment stretching toward a $56 million player option in 2027-28 only adds another layer of risk. For a Spurs team that can afford to be selective, the safer path may still be letting the roster grow internally rather than jumping into a move that could carry more downside than upside. [Read more 🡒]