NBA Trade Rumors: Flurry of contending teams in pursuit of Cameron Johnson
NBA Trade Rumors: There's a flurry of contending teams that are reportedly in pursuit of Cameron Johnson.
The Brooklyn Nets have made it clear that they're in the midst of another rebuild. If that wasn't clear before, it certainly was when they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a blockbuster package centered around multiple future first-round draft picks.
As they continue to establish a new foundation for the next era of the franchise, there's one other name that the team could theoretically trade - Cameron Johnson.
According to a report from the New York Post, four contenders - Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings - have expressed at least some interest in trading for Johnson. More teams could be interested in trading for Johnson if the Nets aggressively shop him on the trade market. Considering the already relatively strong market that Johnson has, it could lead the way toward the Nets officially placing him on the trade block.
With the moves that they've already made this offseason, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them move in a direction in which they trade Johnson. However, they could also elect to wait until the NBA Trade Deadline to push for a deal.
Either way, it doesn't seem as if Johnson has many days left in a Nets uniform.
How big of an acquisition could Cameron Johnson be for a contender?
In what could be labeled as a "down" season for Johnson, the 28-year-old wing averaged 13 points and four rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. But considering he's on a pretty fair deal that has three years and roughly $69 million left, that's not a huge obligation for a contender to take on. In fact, I'd argue that any team that is looking for added shooting on the wing should be taking a strong look at Johnson.
He may not be a huge difference-maker in the grand scheme of an offense but as a third or fourth option on a contender, he can certainly make a huge impact - similar to the way he did with the Phoenix Suns a few years back.
At this point, it doesn't appear as if Johnson is going to have a future in Brooklyn. The question is, which team will step up to the plate to offer the Nets a deal they can't refuse for Johnson?