Spurs keep forward Keldon Johnson on four-year, $80 million deal

The San Antonio Spurs have rebuilding to do and the team wants young forward Keldon Johnson to be a part of it. According to Johnson's agents, the 22-year-old agreed to a four-year, $80 million extension with the team.

Johnson was a first-round pick in 2019 and became a full-time starter for the Spurs in his second NBA season. During the 2021-22 season, he continued his ascension and averaged a career-best 17.0 points with 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Johnson was particularly good late in the season, averaging 20.3 points in his last 20 games and eclipsing 30 points three times.

San Antonio finished the season 34-48 and earned a spot in the Play-In Tournament as the 10th place team in the Western Conference. The Spurs were promptly eliminated by the New Orleans Pelicans with a 113-103 loss.

After the season, the Spurs traded All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for a trio of draft picks.

"They didn't want to see me waste years rebuilding and stuff," Murray said after the deal, via Sports Illustrated. "They want to see me win and the best for Dejounte, and I thank them for that a lot."

In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Spurs used three first-round picks to add forward Jeremy Sochan and guards Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley.