The Brooklyn Nets’ moves this offseason made their path for the coming season clear: They traded to regain control of their own first-round picks for the next two years (originally sent out in the James Harden deal), then traded away Mikal Bridges. This team is planting the (Cooper) Flagg and will be tanking this season, looking for a high pick in a quality draft.
Which means they will be sellers heading into NBA training camp and up to the trade deadline — Cam Thomas, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Dorian Finney-Smith will be popular targets. So will power forward Cameron Johnson, but this is not going to be a fire sale, reports Brian Lewis at the New York Post (part of an article about the long shot of Jimmy Butler coming to Brooklyn).
NBA personnel who spoke with The Post said the Nets have had consistently high trade demands for Johnson, which would explain his continued presence on the roster. Asked earlier this offseason how he fits into the new plans of GM Sean Marks, Johnson answered, “Still trying to figure it out. Still trying to figure it out.”
Johnson is a quality NBA stretch-four who averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game for the Nets last season, taking 57% of his shot attempts from 3-point range and hitting 39.1% of them. He did that playing through an assortment of smaller injuries that held him back. Johnson took a step back defensively last season and is not lock down on that end, but has been a solid team defender when paired with other good defenders.
Johnson will make $23.6 million this coming season, the second season of a four-year, $90 million contract.
There will be interest in him and everyone on the Nets roster who is not named Ben Simmons. Johnson, 28, is not part of the long-term rebuilding plans in Brooklyn but Marks and the Nets front office is not giving away anyone — this is not a fire sale. Pick and young players who can help Brooklyn rebuild have to be coming back in any deal.
Heading into training is generally not when big trades happen, teams are usually good with their summer moves and want to see what they have on the court before shaking things up. That’s likely the case with Johnson, but as some teams realize they need help at the four there will be calls coming in to Marks. He’s just keeping the price high for a forward he likes.