Keshad Johnson

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Net of age, position, and term, Keshad Johnson's deal earns a C- Contract Value Index. The verdict reflects a fundamental disconnect between his salary footprint and what he's actually delivering on court: a one-year, $1.96M minimum-level deal for a second-year player who is averaging 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds across 26 games in the 2025-26 season—a statistical profile that lands squarely in below-average territory for a wing. On paper, the contract itself is perfectly reasonable; at that price point, the Heat are paying replacement-level wages for a role player, and there is no cap hemorrhage here. The real problem is that Johnson hasn't yet translated the athleticism and highlight-reel ability that have made him a cultural asset and fan favorite—attributes that have generated genuine media goodwill and a B sentiment grade—into consistent rotation-level production during games that count. At 24 years old and still in a developmental window, he has time to bridge that gap, but with Miami sitting at 43-39 as a bottom-seed playoff team just days from the Finals, the margin for fringe contributors to prove themselves has already begun to shrink. The CVI grade of C- is fair: the contract itself poses no risk, but the player's failure to produce at even a modest starter level means Miami is getting replacement-level value for replacement-level money, neither a bargain nor an asset.

Performance Analysis