MIAMI — Amid the bigger picture — of which there are many at the moment — Keshad Johnson stands as a reminder that this also is a time of year when the NBA’s small stuff has to be revolved.
So, yes, the New York Knicks are coming off an epic comeback in the ongoing NBA Finals. And, yes, the Miami Heat are center stage amid the speculation about whether Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be relocated.
But for Johnson, who had his own fleeting moment of spotlight this season as the champion of the NBA’s dunk contest during All-Star Weekend, there remains the ongoing issue of . . . future employment.
As with several players at the back end of this past season’s roster, the Heat have an impending decision with Johnson, who is due to hit free agency on July 1.
“This period is, I would say, it’s the grind. It’s the grind period,” Johnson said Thursday of his current unknown while already working toward next season. “I’m here to stay, I’m here to show that I’m here to stay, in the gym every day. It’s not in my hands. I’m just trying to stay here.”
Among the Heat’s options is to extend a $2.7 million qualifying offer by their June 29 deadline to make Johnson a restricted free agent, thereby retaining the right to match outside offers in free agency.
The Heat could instead bypass a qualifying offer, allow Johnson to become an unrestricted free agent, but then be able to sign him at the $2.4 million minimum for next season, as a means of potentially saving the difference against the luxury-tax multiplier.
For Johnson, it’s about more than the money.
“I’m getting older, getting smarter, getting better, perfecting my craft each every day. So, it’s only the best yet to come,” he said at the Heat’s youth camp at Slam Miami.
A decision ultimately could come down to whether the Heat reshuffle their roster by the qualifying-offer deadline.
Should the Heat, for example, deal for Antetokounmpo, such a transaction could come at the cost of several prospects from the Heat’s developmental pipeline, potentially putting more of a priority on retaining Johnson.
That could leave Johnson returning to several familiar faces, or to precious few — if there is a deal for Antetokounmpo.
“Just sitting back, really just learning, learning a lot of what comes with the business and everything,” he said of the team’s uncertain times. “We build relationships throughout the business.”
It has been two months since the Heat last played, eliminated in the play-in opener by the Charlotte Hornets. But Johnson said that didn’t mean he wasn’t transfixed by Wednesday night’s dramatic NBA Finals comeback by the Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I would say it’s motivating, it’s motivating,” he said of New York’s comeback. “You know, never let up and keep fighting.”
Johnson appeared in 32 games last season, after appearing in 16 as an undrafted rookie in 2024-25. He led the Heat in plus/minus nine times last season, but also was on the inactive list eight times, spending time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he averaged 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds. He last season also recorded his first career NBA double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds on Nov. 11 against the Chicago Bulls.
And then there are moments such as Thursday, when he arrived at the team’s youth camp not as the unknown of a year ago, but as the NBA’s reigning dunk champion.
“Life has changed a lot,” he said. “I made a name for myself. I’m still trying to build on that, as well.
“It’s always special, whether I’m Keshad ‘Showtime’ Johnson or the Dunk Champ, whatever it is, you know. It’s always special just being able to pay it forward to the kids in general. But now that I got a name for myself, to put bigger smiles on their faces, that’s the more, that’s the benefit of it.”