Spurs Announce Contract Extension For Keldon Johnson

July 18, 2022

The Spurs have officially signed forward Keldon Johnson to a contract extension, the team announced in a press release.

Agent Rich Paul told Shams Charania of The Athletic the deal is for four years and $80 million.

Johnson, 22, is 6-foot-5 and appeared in 75 games last season, averaging 17.0 points and 6.1 rebounds, shooting 47 percent from the field. A former first-round pick out of Kentucky (No. 29 overall), he was eligible for a rookie-scale extension.

He has spent his entire three-year career with the Spurs. Next season, the man they call “Big Body” is likely to have an increased role, given that San Antonio traded away former leading scorer Dejounte Murray in a deal with the Hawks.

“With Johnson obviously being the primary scorer, there is no reason he can’t average 20,” wrote Jonah Kubicek of Air Alamo. “He’s a three-level scorer who can use his strength to drive, he is a great catch and shoot player, and he has no problem pulling up from midrange, which sets him apart from the best scorers in the league.”

Per the Spurs’ press release:

Johnson is coming off a career year, averaging 17.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31.9 minutes while shooting 46.6% from the field, 39.8% from beyond the arc and 75.6% from the free throw line. He became just the second player in franchise history to record 1,000-plus points, 400-or-more rebounds and 125-plus three-pointers in a single season joining Kawhi Leonard.

In his second season Johnson was selected to the NBA’s 2021 Rising Stars roster after posting eight double-doubles, including a 23 point/21 rebound effort at Cleveland on March 19, 2021, becoming the first Spurs player to post a 20/20 game since Tim Duncan in 2010. He became just the fifth player in NBA history 21-or-younger to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 three-pointers in a game vs. the L.A. Lakers on Jan. 1, 2021 (Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Lauri Markkanen and Luka Doncic).

For his NBA career, Johnson has appeared in 161 NBA games, averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.0 minutes while shooting 47.8% from the field, 38.5% from long range and 75.3% from the foul line.

Entering his fourth season with San Antonio, the 22-year-old won a gold medal a member of the USA Men’s National Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Johnson was selected by San Antonio in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft (29th overall) after playing one season at the University of Kentucky where he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year.