NBA Trade Rumors: The Brooklyn Nets have a high asking price for one of the most popular NBA Trade Deadline candidates.
As the NBA Trade Deadline, one thing has become quite clear around the league - it's the fact that Cameron Johnson remains one of the most highly sought-after wing players on the trade block. There is a flurry of teams already in pursuit of Johnson and probably another handful of teams preparing to make a last-minute attempt to get in on the sweepstakes before the deadline.
It should come as no surprise that Johnson is one of the most popular trade deadline candidates at the moment. Knowing this, the Nets are doing exactly what they should be doing. With as much interest as there appears to be across the league for Johnson, the Nets have reportedly set a pretty high asking price for Johnson in trade talks. According to the New York Post, the Nets are looking for two first-round picks or the equivalent to that through young talent.
To be perfectly honest, that's a strong asking price for a player who should be considered a third or fourth option on a good team. On one hand, you can't really blame the Nets for setting this bar but on the other, you can't help but wonder if there are any teams willing to meet this ask from Brooklyn.
Could the Brooklyn Nets play the long game with Cam Johnson?
With the cards on the table, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next few couple of weeks before the NBA Trade Deadline. Brooklyn's plans are very well apparent at the moment and they're not in a rush to make any move. They've put themselves in a position where they're going to take the long path toward rebuilding this roster.
And with that mindset heading into the trade deadline and then into the offseason, they shouldn't feel a huge need to pull the trigger on any move at the moment - especially when it comes to one of their last few quality assets. It's not like Johnson is in the final year of his contract. If the Nets wanted, they could do this song and dance again in the offseason and then at next year's NBA Trade Deadline.
Of course, the gamble is whether Johnson will continue to be as productive and efficient as he's been this season. That could be the big question. After all, Johnson is enjoying the best season of his career thus far with the Nets this year. It would make sense for Brooklyn to want to cash in on that. But, at the same time, you can't fault them for trying to set the market for the talented wing either.