The Brooklyn Nets are preparing for what will essentially amount to a hard reset during the 2025 NBA offseason. Only two players on the roster have guaranteed salaries for the 2025-26 campaign, leaving most under the impression that the 2024-25 season will be the proverbial waiting game.
Despite the extraordinary opportunity that exists for Brooklyn to almost entirely clear its books, a thought remains in the minds of NBA analysts: What if it could shed one last salary?
Cameron Johnson is entering the second season of a four-year, $94.5 million contract with the Nets. It's a somewhat backloaded deal, with annual salaries of $25,679,348, $23,625,000, $21,570,652, and $23,625,000 respectively across the four seasons.
With three seasons and $68,820,652 remaining on his deal, Johnson could be a player whose cap hit exceeds his on-court value.
When Johnson plays, few are upset to see him on the court. He's an elite three-point shooter, averaging 2.2 three-point field goals made on 39.2 percent shooting over the course of his five-year NBA career.
Unfortunately, he's also struggled to remain healthy in recent seasons, missing 40 games in 2022-23 and 24 in 2024-25—thus leading to rumors that he could be on the move this offseason.
The Rumor
Due almost entirely to his injury woes, Johnson has emerged as a potential trade candidate for the Nets. He's an effective player when healthy, but as Brooklyn looks to start over with Nic Claxton re-signed and no one else guaranteed to be on the books through 2025-26—Dorian Finney-Smith has a player option—there's reason to consider moving on.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Johnson has received interest from as many as six teams as a potential trade target.
"While the Kings, Magic and Lakers are interested, one recent report claimed the Spurs, Raptors or Warriors could be a “dark horse.”"
Zach Lowe of ESPN reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be interested in acquiring Johnson, albeit with limited trade assets.
"They'd have interest in one of Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson in Brooklyn, sources said, but they have only one future first-round pick -- their 2031 pick -- available to trade."
That doesn't necessarily mean that Brooklyn wants to trade Johnson, but interest exists around the NBA—and a recent article took a look at what a mutually beneficial deal might look like.
The Trade
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently proposed a trade that would enable the Nets to move on from Johnson's contract. It's a three-team deal that would see Johnson and Ziaire Williams join the Denver Nuggets, with Michael Porter Jr. going to the Detroit Pistons.
As for Brooklyn, the return would consist of Tim Hardaway Jr., Isaiah Stewart, and two future second-round draft picks.
Hardaway is entering the final season of his current contract, with an affordable salary of $16,193,183. Stewart, meanwhile, is preparing for the first season of his new four-year, $60 million deal, which includes a club option for the 2027-28 campaign.
This trade would stay the course in terms of only having two players on the books for the 2025-26 campaign, with Stewart owed $15 million—$8.625 million less than Johnson.
Adding a pair of second-rounders for Johnson would also be an ideal outcome given the commitment to a long-term rebuild. It would be in line with Brooklyn's offseason thus far, which has centered around amassing an endless supply of draft assets.
The question is: Would the return for Johnson ultimately push the Nets in the right direction?
The Grade
This is a complicated trade to digest. In theory, it's a massive win to clear an additional $8.625 million for the 2025 offseason and add even more draft capital in an offseason that's been all about building for the future.
The one hurdle in giving this trade an A, however, is the simple fact that the Nets would be paying upwards of $41.1 million to bigs during the 2025-26 season—and that may not be the philosophy they wish to embrace.
Stewart is an interesting player, due in no small part to his emergence as a stretch big. In 2023-24, he averaged 10.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 offensive boards, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 1.5 three-point field goals made in 30.9 minutes per game while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
With his efficiency and volume from distance established, there's ample reason to believe that he could play alongside the supremely versatile Claxton—if Brooklyn wants to go that route.
Stewart is on a reasonable contract that will consume just 9.7 percent of the salary cap in 2025-26, making this pairing affordable and undeniably intriguing. If it works, Brooklyn has a compelling complement of bigs who can split interior and perimeter duties on either end of the floor.
With exceptional 2025 cap space and the potential desire to add a proven player to the roster, however, it's a deal that simply may not align with how Jordi Fernández wants to structure his rotation.
It may not be a perfect deal for Brooklyn, but it would be a positive outcome for the franchise if this deal went through. The only reason it isn't an A is the pressing question of how Fernández would utilize two bigs.