League sources say the Nets and Kings haven’t discussed a Cam Johnson trade for weeks, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Stein cites sources claiming the Kings don't see 'a pathway to a workable deal' for Johnson with just two weeks remaining until the Feb. 6 deadline, instead aggressively pursuing other trade avenues. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto also reports that Sacramento has been hesitant to move rookie Devin Carter in trade negotiations, leaning more towards Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles and draft capital as a package to improve the roster in most scenarios around the league.
Meanwhile, Jake Fischer deemed Cleveland’s inquiry regarding Johnson to be ‘preliminary at best’ last weekend for The Stein Line.
The 28-year-old veteran forward continues to drive rumor mill discussions, primarily now linked to the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, as he averages a career-best 19.4 points on close to a 50-40-90 shooting split. Brooklyn’s expectations for a Johnson trade have been discussed at length: multiple first-round picks and young talent while maintaining cap flexibility, otherwise the Nets likely keep him into the summer.
Story: The latest intel on Cam Johnson trade talks, Clint Capela’s new role and future, why the Cleveland Cavaliers may make a trade, and interviews with Hawks Sixth Man of the Year candidate De’Andre Hunter and Timberwolves guard Mike Conley on @hoopshype https://t.co/8QYkeShBtB
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 23, 2025
Scotto’s latest report lists Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard as young players in Indiana that teams across the NBA have expressed interest in, worth noting with Memphis potentially being a more difficult path given hard feelings after the Dorian Finney-Smith bidding war. Even with the Pacers, a team carrying as much momentum as any right now, demands in Brooklyn could be too much.
It's more than evident general manager Sean Marks isn’t willing to offload Johnson in the same manner as Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder, which netted the organization five second-round draft picks.
Johnson is owed $43 million over the next two seasons, $20.5 million in 2025-26 and $22.5 million in 2026-27, and could easily help the Nets' star hunting this offseason or beyond. Brooklyn values the 41.9 percent three-point shooter and has been adamant about its openness to keeping him for the future despite the current rebuild.
A right ankle injury has pestered Johnson for some time and was reaggravated in the team’s 99-95 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday, leading to another absence for the sharpshooter. Brooklyn won’t exactly mind, though, as it tries to improve its 2025 NBA Draft Lottery odds, currently with the sixth-best chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick just two games back from the top three tank leaders. The Nets are 14-31 on the season, 0-10 without Johnson in the lineup.
“He’ll be out,” Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We are not exactly sure how long.”