All quiet on the Nets’ commerce entrance.
Might they really keep that method?
Cam Johnson has had his title continually linked in rumors because the Nets shipped out veterans Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith.
However with the commerce deadline quick approaching at 3 p.m. on Thursday — and sources telling The Submit that Brooklyn just isn’t purchasing Johnson — it appears an increasing number of possible that no workforce affords sufficient to get the Nets to alter their minds.
League sources have persistently instructed The Submit that the Nets — who had been clearly extremely motivated to deal away Schroder and Finney-Smith, since each had been 30-somethings set to hit unrestricted free company — haven’t been purchasing Johnson.
They’ve solely taken calls on him, and apparently none are convincing them to maneuver the sweet-shooting wing.
So does Johnson go to Brooklyn basic supervisor Sean Marks on the incessant stories? Or let his brokers deal with that whereas he retains his deal with the court docket?
“Yeah, the latter more so,” Johnson instructed The Submit. “If I felt the need to go speak to him about something, or I catch wind of something that I want to bring up to him, then I will.”
To date, there hasn’t been a lot of a necessity.
In varied stories, Johnson has been linked to Golden State, Indiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma Metropolis and the Lakers.
However he’s nonetheless in Brooklyn, and Marks is seemingly greater than content material to face pat.
“He has a job to do. I have a job to do. And that’s what I’m focused on right now,” Johnson instructed The Submit. “And proper now, my job is to play for this workforce and to contribute to this workforce and to attempt to do all these issues.
“And his job is to manage the group. So I’m not [worried]. If there’s something that I need to know, then I trust he’ll tell me, my agent will tell me. And [I’m] going from there.”
Johnson, who missed Tuesday’s recreation in opposition to the Rockets with a sprained ankle, is within the midst of a mid-career breakthrough.
The ahead is at present averaging 19.4 factors on 49.1/41.9/89.8 taking pictures splits. His true taking pictures proportion is as much as 65.8 this season.
In 10 December video games, Johnson poured in 22 factors on 48.9 p.c taking pictures, together with a white-hot 44.0 p.c from 3-point vary. And he’s doing that on a de-escalating team-friendly contract that makes him straightforward to maintain previous Thursday.
“[The Nets] are not shopping [their] players, so there isn’t an asking price,” one supply instructed The Submit.
Johnson is underneath workforce management for the subsequent two years on a deal that counts simply 13 p.c of the wage cap every of these seasons. The Nets by no means spoke with Golden State about Johnson, based on sources, and with the Lakers and Kings having made big strikes on the wings, two potential suitors are off the board. Brooklyn might carry extra groups into the bidding course of within the offseason.
There’s a very loud phase of the Brooklyn fandom that desires to see Johnson moved exactly as a result of he’s good.
The tanking Nets are 17-33 after their gorgeous 99-97 win over the Rockets on Tuesday regardless of Johnson not enjoying and are sixth within the lottery odds.
Johnson contributes to wins.
Proper now, the Nets’ odds of touchdown the coveted prime total choose — and Duke superfrosh Cooper Flagg — are 9 p.c. By far their almost definitely touchdown spots as of Tuesday had been seventh (at 28.5 p.c) and eighth (20.0 p.c).
However the analytics don’t help the hysteria. Johnson’s career-best win share mark is 5.6 again in 2021-22, and it’s 3.3 now.
The Nets will attain the two-thirds mark of the season subsequent week, which means realistically, even when Johnson has related well being and manufacturing the remainder of the best way, he would elevate their win complete by one or two victories.
In brief, if the Nets transfer him, it received’t be about tanking however getting an enormous return.
And likelihood is it’ll have to return to them.
