NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Joe Johnson
With the 2016 NBA trade deadline approaching, here are five teams that should consider trading for Joe Johnson.
The Brooklyn Nets are trapped in an NBA desert with no hope of finding their oasis. They own the third worst record in the league at 11-28, but unlike most tanking teams, they don’t have the luxury of enjoying a top draft pick at the end of the season — the normal consolation prize for most suffering fan bases.
In fact, the Nets might not enjoy a first round draft pick again until 2019, which gives them no incentive to tank. But with a roster whose two most attractive players are Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, Brooklyn also has little chance of improving their fortunes by appealing to star players through free agency.
The Nets will have cap space when Joe Johnson‘s $24.9 million albatross of a contract comes off the books this summer, but so will almost every team in the NBA with the league’s salary cap skyrocketing to a projected $89 million. Brooklyn is stuck in the mud, and at this point, their best course of action might be trading the few good players they have left for future draft picks or talented young players.
In the case of Joe Johnson, a separation has been rumored for some time. The Nets were able to part ways with Deron Williams through a buyout, but that is reportedly not something Johnson is looking into right now.
All indications are the Nets' Joe Johnson, contrary to recent suggestions, presently has no interest in seeking a buyout in Brooklyn. So ...
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 11, 2016
So if JJ holds firm to that stance chances greatly increase he finishes season w/Nets, since $25M is hard to trade even as expiring contract
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 11, 2016
Johnson’s value has never been lower. The 34-year-old has been as washed up as Kobe Bryant this season, averaging 11.3 points per game on an abysmal 38.1 percent shooting. The seven-time All-Star has little value to a playoff contender at this stage in his career, especially since his massive salary would make a potential trade extremely difficult to navigate.
But a Johnson trade isn’t impossible, even if it’s highly unlikely at this point. He still has value as an expiring contract that would free up a ton of cap space this summer for a team once his salary comes off the books. With nothing but time to kill before the 2016 NBA trade deadline, here’s a look at five potential — albeit long shot — trade destinations for Joe Johnson.