SAN ANTONIO — Sticking with their offseason theme of low-risk depth acquisitions, the San Antonio Spurs are signing journeyman forward Alize Johnson to a one-year contract.
Per ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal is for one year and $2 million.
The 26-year-old Johnson has played for five teams over a four year career. A second-round pick of the Indiana Pacers in 2018 out of Missouri State, Johnson most recently spent last season with the Bulls, Wizards, and Pelicans in limited action.
The move falls in line with San Antonio’s rebuilding offseason pickups of low-cost veterans. The Spurs recently added reserve big man Gorgui Dieng on a one-year contract, in addition to 24-year-old stretch forward Isaiah Roby via free agency.
The Spurs also drafted 19-year-old forward Jeremy Sochan with the 9th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Johnson was known as a ferocious rebounder at Missouri State, and when given good minutes in the NBA he has shown that. In an April 2021 game with Brooklyn Nets, Johnson tallied 20 points to go along with 21 rebounds.
In 18 games with the Nets in 2020-21, Johnson averaged 5.2 points to go along with five rebounds per game while only averaging 10.5 minutes per contest.
Still at just 26, Johnson could figure to get good minutes with the Spurs this upcoming season. If he impresses, the deal could benefit the Spurs long-term both if Johnson proves to be a part of the future or by flipping him midseason for prospects.
It’s not a major move in the grand scheme of the NBA, but for the Spurs it’s another low-risk high-reward move that could be of benefit.