Keldon Johnson’s future with the San Antonio Spurs may not be as settled as it looks.
A lot of people around the team seem to expect this to be his final season in San Antonio, especially since he still hasn’t landed a contract extension. But that doesn’t close the door on a return. In fact, the recent move to bring Harrison Barnes back on a one-year deal could point to a path the Spurs might also use with Johnson.
Barnes was not widely expected to return, yet San Antonio found a way to keep him on a shorter deal for roughly half of what he had been earning. That kind of structure could matter here, because Johnson is set to make $17.5 million this season, and the Spurs have not committed to a longer-term extension. A one-year deal might be the more realistic route if the team wants to keep him around.
And technically, it can work.
Right now, the Spurs have 11 players under contract for next season and are sitting at about $202 million in salary. That figure does not include Johnson or their 2027 first-round pick. The second apron is projected to land at $236 million, which gives San Antonio some breathing room.
A one-year deal for Johnson at $15 million is on the table in theory. Add in the projected $4 million salary for that 2027 first-rounder, and the Spurs would be at 13 players and still about $15 million below the second apron.
So the issue isn’t whether the math can be made to work. It’s whether both sides want that kind of arrangement.
The bigger money conversation has centered on a multi-year contract worth more than what Johnson is making now, and something like $20 million annually over the next three or four seasons doesn’t appear to be in play. A shorter deal, though, is a different story.
Johnson could have reasons to consider it, too. He has already spent going on eight seasons with the Spurs, and if San Antonio is winning, that only makes a short-term return more appealing. A one-year commitment would keep him in place without locking either side into something long-term.
If that scenario comes together this summer, Spurs fans would likely be glad to see him back. He didn’t play especially well in last season’s NBA playoffs, but he still brings value and remains a player who is developing.
There’s also the fact that he has shown up to training camp looking slimmed down, just as he did last year. That worked out well for him and for the Spurs, and it’s another sign that he is trying to get the most out of his game.
For now, the door stays open: if San Antonio wants him back and Johnson is willing to take a shorter deal and less money, there’s a path for him to remain with the Spurs after this season.
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That cushion may not last long. The next layer of the Spurs young core is heading toward extension decisions of its own, and those talks could force the front office to make some uncomfortable choices about how much talent it can afford to keep together. Stephon Castles rise has made him one of the most important pieces in the room, while Dylan Harper is also part of the salary puzzle, leaving San Antonio to balance upside, timing and a cap sheet that could get crowded quickly. [Read more 🡒]