This year’s trade deadline was among the loudest in NBA history, but all was quiet on the Brooklyn Nets’ front. After making a pair of trades earlier in the year, the rebuilding squad stood pat at the deadline, notably holding onto Cam Johnson.
General manager Sean Marks recently spoke about what went into the decision.
“We’re enjoying seeing some of these young guys develop and this roster continue to grow under [head coach] Jordi [Fernandez’s] tutelage. So I think for us, it was like, just stand pat. We haven’t seen enough of some guys because they’ve been hurt,” Marks said on the team’s YouTube mini-series, The Bridge. “With Cam, there was a lot of interest in him, like there was a lot of interest in a lot of our guys. But we like Cam, and I think Cam fits multiple different builds that we’re doing. He’s a voice of reason. He’s well-respected within that locker room. He’s a pro’s pro. So if people can learn from somebody, learn from Cam Johnson. That’s a great guy to pick up habits from.”
Johnson is in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 19.1 points per game on 49/42/89 shooting splits. With the Nets pivoting to a rebuild this summer, several executives identified the 28-year-old as one of the NBA’s most likely impact players to be moved at the deadline.
Nets GM Sean Marks opens up on holding Cam Johnson through deadline
Much of that speculation was tied to the narrative that Brooklyn was tanking this season. However, the draft lottery landscape had gained clarity in the weeks leading up to the deadline. The Nets have played themselves out of top-four odds and look increasingly likely to finish between sixth and eighth in the lottery standings.
Following a 6-2 stretch, Brooklyn is 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot. Johnson has been a stabilizing presence for a team featuring 12 players age 24 or younger.
“He’s a very reliable person, not just a player. He shows up every day, [has] positive energy, [is] super smart, helps his teammates, [has] accountability. He’s the type of person that you want around, that you want in your family,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Johnson.
While the Nets are in year one of a rebuild, they have the flexibility to expedite their timeline. With 12 tradable first-round picks and $65 million in projected cap space this summer, both tops in the league, Brooklyn will be in the star conversation moving forward.
Marks could revisit trade conversations surrounding Johnson during the offseason. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter is under contract for $21.5 million annually over the next two seasons, a deal that front offices should view favorably with the salary cap set to rise.
However, while many have ruled him out as a part of the Nets’ long-term plans, Johnson remains fully invested in building something in Brooklyn.
“I don’t really care about what the people have to say. I really care more about what we’re building here,” he told ClutchPoints before the deadline. “My job is to put 100 percent of my effort into building this program. So whether I leave at the deadline or whether I’m here for the rest of the season or longer than that, my job is to help the coaching staff, my teammates, the young guys, everybody.
I do feel like my personal best days are way ahead of me. I think my timeline is a lot different than most people. I do not think I’ve hit my peak as an NBA player.”
The post Nets GM Sean Marks breaks silence on holding Cam Johnson through trade deadline appeared first on ClutchPoints.
