Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Johnson workout a win-win situation

Fresh off an MVP campaign in the BIG3, seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson will work out for the Milwaukee Bucks next week.

Believe it or not, the beginning of the 2019-20 NBA season is less than two months away. Until opening tip on Oct. 22, though, teams like the Milwaukee Bucks are leaving no stone unturned.

General manager and reigning Executive of the Year, Jon Horst has been hard at work attempting to put the best possible product on the court for the Bucks. Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, that process includes a workout for 38-year-old Joe Johnson.

It wasn’t planned on Johnson’s end, though:

"“I am hopeful to get back, but I did not get in the BIG3 to get back to the league… The only thing that keeps the NBA fire in the belly is how it ended in Houston. That just does not sit well with me. So if an opportunity comes along and I feel that it is worth it, yeah, I take that chance.”"

The veteran dazzled enough over the summer to earn upcoming workouts with multiple squads — not just the Bucks. The MVP of the BIG3 league, Johnson averaged 21.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season.

Regardless of how things unfold in Johnson’s workout with Milwaukee, this is a win-win situation for the franchise.

If the workout is a success and Johnson parlays it into a contract with Milwaukee, the team will add a proven veteran hungry for his first championship. Albeit two years older than he was during his last NBA appearance, perhaps the time off helped Johnson re-evaluate where his career is at.

Averaging just 1.5 points and 6.8 minutes per game in the 2018 playoffs with the Houston Rockets, Johnson’s production took the biggest hit he’d ever seen in his 17 seasons in the NBA. By signing with the Milwaukee Bucks, he’d be giving himself a shot at redemption.

The Bucks are the preseason favorites to win the Eastern Conference, so Johnson could right his wrongs and retire on a positive note with a dominant club.

It’s not just about Johnson, either. Not only would Milwaukee be adding the aforementioned veteran presence into the fold, but it would have another wing option throughout the season and into the postseason.

A career 37.1 percent shooter from deep, Johnson could benefit from plenty of kick-out passes from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If the workout is not a success and Johnson doesn’t flash enough talent to convince Milwaukee to sign him, he has two options. He can either walk away knowing he gave it his all, or he can continue to grind it out in an effort to rewrite his NBA ending.

In the end, all certainly wouldn’t be doom and gloom.

Should the Bucks pass on Johnson, they’d also be flexing their muscles in the depth department. Horst would be indicating he’s fully confident in the group of players he currently has.

Because Milwaukee is a team with championship aspirations, fans certainly wouldn’t have any bones to pick with that message. Maybe going to war with the roster as it’s currently constructed isn’t such a bad idea.

Joe Johnson has experienced a fruitful, storied NBA career. The ink on his book is relatively dry, but there may be enough time left for one more year of “Iso Joe.”

Joining the Milwaukee Bucks would not only benefit him, but it would make one of the league’s best teams even more dangerous than before. In any event, the next few weeks will be entertaining for both parties.