With the Nets turning their backs on struggling teams and looking to rebuild, what will happen to their experienced veterans?
So what happens to Cam Johnson then, and what conversations have there been with general manager Sean Marks regarding his status?
“I’m still trying to understand it. I’m still trying to figure it out,” said Johnson, who has found herself in a situation unlike anything she’s ever experienced before.
“No, these situations are very unique in the way they manifest and the way the team chemistry works. … I don’t want to say it’s like any other situation,” he said. “I think this is very unique for us.”
Johnson spoke last week in Las Vegas, where he attended several summer league games.
On the day the Nets traded Johnson’s longtime friend Mikal Bridges and signaled their intentions to release him, veterans including Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons and Bojan Bogdanovic were targeted for trade.
However, the latter three are all nearing the end of their contracts and could choose to stay to preserve cap space for 2025.
Moving Johnson and Finney-Smith seems like it would make sense, with Johnson expected to get more in return.
“I’ve talked to all the veterans on the team, because it’s a strain on everybody,” Marks said last week, “but I’m not going to take it lightly because this team is a family and I want to say, ‘Hey, this is a tight-knit group.’ It’s a close-knit locker room, so when one of us goes, it’s a shock to everybody.”
“That’s the reality of professional sports. So I think we have to be up front and honest. And I think everybody, not just on this team but across the league, really understands, look, this is professional sports. I’ve been in locker rooms. I understand what it’s like, what it looks like. And you’ve got to move on and so forth.”
“But again, we want to be open and honest. And ultimately our goal is to find continuity, right? Whether that’s having young guys to build and develop together, whether that’s adding guys in free agency if the opportunity arises, or acquiring guys in trades, we can do that. So, for us, that flexibility is very exciting and interesting going forward.”
The move for Bridges and the deal to get back picks in 2025 and ’26 with Houston gives the Nets the flexibility mentioned above.
But they would gain even more by moving Johnson.
Johnson averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 58 games despite what was viewed as a down year as he battled injuries to his adductor, ankle, calf, leg and shoulder.
He shot 39.1 percent from three-point range, just shy of his career mark of 39.2 percent.
Johnson’s size (6-foot-8), age (28) and shooting ability combine to make him a valuable player. Only 10 NBA players who are 6-foot-7 or taller have averaged more than the 2.4 3-pointers he made last season.
The Kings, Magic and Lakers have expressed interest, but recent reports have suggested the Spurs, Raptors and Warriors could be “dark horses.”
NBA analyst Jake Wimbach suggested San Antonio might want him, along with Keldon Johnson and draft compensation.
Johnson is entering the second year of a four-year, $94.5 million extension, but after next season his final two years will be reduced to 13.91% and 13.85% of the salary cap, making him more favorable for the team.
“I’m just going to let whatever happens happen. Obviously, Brooklyn has a pretty good team, so I think I can really improve,” Johnson said. “If I stay in Brooklyn, I’m excited to play my hardest and improve the team. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”
“I’m with the Brooklyn Nets now, Dorian’s with the Brooklyn Nets now. [Cam Thomas, Trendon Watford]”We’re the Nets right now, so we’re just focused on that group. If something happens, something happens.”
Nets forward Jalen Wilson was named the MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League after averaging 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 55.0 percent from three-point range in five games.
