Not much new, but Jake Fischer of The Steinline and Brett Siegel of Clutch Points offer some background, analysis and speculation.
As Jake Fischer wrote Saturday for The Steinline, “Cam Johnson trade chatter will continue to circulate until Brooklyn actually trades the sharpshooting swingman.”
Or not.
Fischer, as he has this week on a podcast and social media. laid out the possibilities for the Nets 6’8” 28-year-old sharpshooter but in each case, there was little beyond what has already been speculated by a variety of reporters … and that includes keeping CamJ beyond this season.
Brooklyn has thus maintained a high asking price for Johnson. The Nets have sought as many as two first-round picks packaged with a young player in conversations with certain teams, sources say. And if Brooklyn doesn’t find a deal to its liking, it’s not hard to imagine Johnson remaining a Net despite the constant news media speculation about his future and all the genuine interest from around the league.
Not much different from what he said earlier in the week when he described the Nets’ demands as “two first round picks and stuff.” Nor is it different from Clutch Point’s Brett Siegel’s take a day earlier, which actually provided more detail. Siegel in fact put the chances of Johnson being traded at no more than 50%. The Clutch Points Wojspirant wrote:
Even though the Nets continue to hold a strong market for Johnson, there are no indications pointing in the direction of them trading or keeping him. It truly appears to be 50-50 at this time, especially since he still has two more years left on his contract past this season. The Nets will seriously entertain any offers they get from any team for Johnson leading up to the trade deadline…
Johnson commands a vast trade market, sources said, with several playoff-contending teams continuing to monitor his status. The Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, and Memphis Grizzlies are still the most discussed teams connected to Johnson when speaking with league personnel.
Seigel also noted that the Warriors tried to include Johnson in the Schroder deal, but the price got too high.
After trading Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors and then dealing Dorian Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers, the big questions about the Brooklyn Nets revolve around Cam Johnson. Out of any player in the league, Johnson is the one who has generated the most buzz leading up to the trade deadline.
The two reporters laid out where their sources believe things currently stand between Brooklyn and the teams reportedly pursuing Johnson. Here’s our breakdown:
Cleveland Cavaliers
Any interest from Cleveland, as such, seems preliminary at best. The Cavaliers have indeed called on Johnson, sources say, but their approach for the 28-year-old hasn’t advanced much further to this point. Maybe that changes over these next two-plus weeks (after The Athletic’s Joe Vardon first reported the talks.) It just seems unrealistic that Cleveland could meet the Nets’ demands without a real first-rounder available to headline a trade package until 2031. – Fischer
—————
Some around the league have wondered if the Cleveland Cavaliers would give serious thought to the idea of pursuing Johnson in order to push for a championship this season. A move to do so would result in the Cavs likely needing to trade away Caris LeVert, a key secondary talent like Georges Niang, and possibly 2024 first-round pick Jaylon Tyson since they don’t have virtually any first-round draft picks to give up. – Siegel
Oklahoma City Thunder
[W]e’ve found no credible evidence of Johnson-to-OKC talks … even though such chatter continues to make the rounds. The Thunder, like the Cavaliers, don’t want to do anything to disrupt a roster that resides firmly atop its conference. They’re also coming off a rather active offseason that featured the acquisitions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Adding in a major trade deadline piece would introduce another variable to what already figures to be a looming adjustment period: Oklahoma City’s reintegration of Chet Holmgren to Mark Daigneault’s lineup. – Fischer
—————
It would come as a surprise to many around the league if the Oklahoma City Thunder were to break up parts of their locker room to pursue Johnson. At the same time, the Thunder could easily land Johnson given their plethora of assets. No trade is going to be considered an overpay for Sam Presti and his front office since Oklahoma City owns the rights to a slew of first-round picks through 2031. – Siegel
Houston Rockets
Although the Houston Rockets have also been mentioned in league circles as a possible destination for Johnson, this organization has made it clear they don’t want to sacrifice any parts of their young core unless trade discussions are centered around a star. Houston has proven that they are one of the better teams in the league this season, and they are prepared to target several star players in the offseason, which is why they will need their young assets.
Brooklyn would want 2024 first-round pick Reed Sheppard from the Rockets in a deal for Johnson. The Rockets do not intend on moving Sheppard or any of their emerging talents this season. – Siegel
Sacramento Kings
While the Pacers remain a team to monitor for Johnson, sources said, Sacramento continues to be mentioned as a potential suitor for Brooklyn’s in-demand marksman as well.
One Western Conference executive insisted this week that the Kings might have the best shot at Johnson … if Brooklyn indeed proves willing to trade him. The executive told me that the likely framework of a future first-round pick packaged with the contracts of Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles is regarded by some as the benchmark to beat to try to convince the Nets to surrender Johnson in the next 19 days.- Fischer
—————
Sacramento has checked in on Johnson’s status numerous times throughout the season, both before and after deciding to fire Mike Brown. The Kings continue to search the market for upgrades, using Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles as their two main trade assets. It remains unlikely that the team would be willing to part ways with Keegan Murray or rookie guard Devin Carter, which could be a dealbreaker for Brooklyn regarding Johnson. – Siegel
That Sacramento scenario seems unlikely based on reports from a variety of sources that the Nets do not want to take back any salary. Huerter, a 6’7” 26-year-old wing, will make $18.0 million next season and has regressed this season, shooting a career-lows in minutes (23.0); 3-point shooting (30.9%) and free throw shooting (72.0%) . His overall shooting percentage — 42.4% — is the worst since his second year in the league. Lyles, a 6’8” 29-year-old forward, is an expiring at $9.2 million but he too has regressed with near career lows across the board.
Beyond reporting that the Nets don’t want to take back salary, Brooklyn’s record in the trade market confirms their desire. In the two trades for Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, involving seven players and seven draft picks, the Nets have taken back $100,000 — Maxwell Lewis’ guarantee on his $2.2 million minimum deal next season.
Moreover, they chose the Lakers offer for DFS over one from the Grizzlies, which would have had them take on Jon Konchar’s deal with $12.3 million remaining after this season.
The Nets have a number of other decisions to make soon. For one, they are perilously close to the luxury tax threshold — a little more than $5 million — which they will not cross. It would mean Brooklyn would be in the repeater tax. Will they move Bojan Bogdanovic and his $19.0 million expiring deal? They also have a $23.3 million trade exception which functionally expires at the deadline.
In the meantime, the rumors will continue.