Everyone knows Cam Johnson will be a highly sought-after trade target as the February 6th deadline approaches. While Oklahoma City remains, on paper, the strongest partner - plenty additional suitors are coming to the table. Looking across the league the balance of young talent, draft assets, and cap flexibility will be the key factors for GM Sean Marks in any negotiations. With that, let’s look at trade options that may take a bit more work, but could serve Brooklyn better in the long run.
Cleveland Cavs: A team that was speculated to possibly trade Donovan Mitchell away last year is now in the thick of Championship Contention. Adding a player like Cam Johnson, who would bring perimeter shooting, positional size, and defensive value, could be the piece to vault the Cavs into the NBA Finals discussion. What, however, can they offer Brooklyn?
Caris LeVert($16.6m/1yr), Jaylon Tyson($3.3m/4yr), 2031 First Round Pick, Second Round Picks in 2027, 2028, 2029
Old friend Caris LeVert returns to Brooklyn to play alongside DeAngelo. Russell once again! The more important aspect of his return is that his money will come off the ebooks after this year, which matters for the Nets who want to be as cap-flexible as possible.
Meanwhile, Jaylon Tyson has not seen much of. the NBA court in his young career. That said, he comes at a low cost and certainly showed growth across three seasons(and three schools) in college. He has size, and ball-handling ability and is only 22 years old.
Isaac Okoro is a name that both Nets fans and the Nets front office will want to bring up in these discussions. Would he be a part of Brooklyn’s future? That would certainly be a wait-and-see scenario. The Nets could look to pass through Okoro to a third team or pressure Cleveland to find additional first-round picks before calling on Cam Johnson.
This is a discussion worth having because Cleveland has a legitimate shot at the title this year. Much like when we look at Oklahoma City as a Cam Johnson trade partner, the opportunity inspires a willingness to pay or even overpay. Teams like Sacramento and potentially Indiana will also take their shot at landing the veteran wing, at least pushing the price point.
Unlike those two teams, the Cavs(34-5) could have a hard time disrupting their roster, even if it means bolstering the overall talent. In the end, I find it hard to believe the Nets. Move Johnson for less than two first-round picks. Even if looking at young talent, the Cavs probably cannot match the players other contending teams may be willing to offer as the deadline heats up.
