Ranking 5 Spurs contracts from bargain to nightmare

Keldon Johnson: Smallest nightmare

The San Antonio Spurs are at a place where not only is the team much younger than many fans can ever remember, but there is not nearly as much tenure within the roster as there once was. So the fact that Keldon Johnson is by far the longest-tenured member of the Spurs is not as surprising as it would have been in past years.

Drafted back in 2019, Keldon was San Antonio's second first-round pick in that draft, taken with the 29th-overall selection out of the University of Kentucky. Playing on a roster of many older and more experienced players in his rookie year during the 2019-20 season, Johnson did not find much playing time until after the season was suspended in March of 2020.

After going to the bubble, Keldon broke out as a scorer and found his niche in the Spurs' rotation. He continued improving until the 2022-23 season, where he averaged a career-high 22.0 points. But he has experienced a sharp fall-off this year, due in part to being moved to a bench role and seeing his minutes decreased.

Keldon is still a solid scorer, but he is currently playing below the value of his four-year, $74 million deal that went into effect this year. He will need to raise his level of play for his contract not to feel like a burden on the Spurs.