The Spurs spent the summer making their wing and frontcourt deeper, and that reality has put Keldon Johnson in a tricky spot.
San Antonio added Tobias Harris on a two-year, $31 million deal, then kept building by drafting Jayden Quaintance, Tarris Reed Jr. and Maliq Brown. On top of that, the roster already includes Dylan Harper, who should see more minutes after his strong NBA Finals showing, and Carter Bryant, whose 3-and-D promise makes more playing time hard to ignore. Put it all together, and Johnson’s path to a major role looks a lot narrower than it did a year ago.
That doesn’t erase what Johnson brought to the Spurs last season. He was a major part of their 62-win 2025-26 run, even if his playoff production dropped off hard in both scoring and efficiency. He also accepted a bench role, which helped San Antonio’s culture and gave the team the kind of unselfish edge that fueled its surge.
Still, the fit is the issue now. Johnson is on an expiring deal and set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, which makes his situation even more complicated. With the Spurs adding more options around Victor Wembanyama, his minutes could shrink further, especially when Harris and Harper are handling the ball and at least one of the new bigs is getting postseason run.
Johnson’s first playoff experience came in 2026, so the rough patches weren’t exactly shocking. He’s still relatively young, and the future isn’t closed off for him. But the Spurs may be better served using him in a deal to bring back pieces that fit their long-term picture more cleanly, rather than waiting and risking losing him later.
It’s a tough place to land with a player who was one of the bright spots of San Antonio’s breakout season. Johnson’s energy mattered, and his impact went beyond the box score. The problem is that the Spurs have now built a deeper roster that points in a different direction.
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