1 player the 76ers need to acquire from the Nets after trading Mikal Bridges

With the 2024 NBA draft rapidly approaching, the Philadelphia 76ers' entire strategy was shaken up considerably thanks to Leon Rose and the New York Knicks, who traded away a half dozen picks to their cross-river rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, to acquire Villanova alum Mikal Bridges, who Brett Brown actually selected 10th overall in 2021 before trading him away for Zhaire Smith and a Miami first.

Suddenly, the rich got richer, the Nets got back to tanking, albeit with the Knicks picks, not their own – though that was subsequently corrected via a trade with the Houston Rockets – and the Sixers seemingly found themselves with another shot at OG Anunoby, who could be less likely to re-sign with New York now that they have a long-term small forward locked up but frankly, that isn't the whole story.

No, with Bridges gone and some of their picks returned, the Nets look primed to sell off more of their valuable prospects in favor of a traditional(ish) rebuild, and they have one player in particular that Daryl Morey and company should immediately get on the phone and try to acquire: Cameron Johnson.

Cameron Johnson has the skills the Philadelphia 76ers are looking for.

Standing 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, Cameron Johnson is a prototypical stretch four who can do a little bit of everything but really excels as a spot-up shooter who can knock down shots and make quick decisions on the perimeter.

Initially drafted out of UNC with the 11th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft using a pick the Phoenix Suns acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Johnson is a long, springy shooter who has taken 62 percent of his shots from beyond the arc as a pro and nailed them at a 39.2 percent clip, a feat made particularly impressive considering he's averaged 5.7 attempts per game over his five seasons in the Association.

While he isn't a particularly good defender, holding a 0.0 defensive box plus/minus for his career according to Basketball-Reference, his overall BPM is a positive 1.2, signifying a player who won't be taken advantage of defensively – someone like, say, Seth Curry or JJ Reddick – but can put in work offensively.

Sidebar: Tobias Harris actually has an identical BPM of 1.2 over his tenure with the Sixers. While the duo is far from the same player, as Johnson is a quick decision-maker without much of an ISO game, they could have a similar impact at a notable price disparity, contractually speaking.

Factor in a willingness to drive to the basket when he has a lane and his ability to do the dirty work that made Kelly Oubre into a fan favorite last season and Johnson feels like the perfect complementary player for Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid either as a third or even fourth option, should the team secure a bigger name over the next few weeks.

Cameron Johnson is an ideal stretch four next to Joel Embiid.

So, if the 76ers were to acquire Johnson, trading something like their 2024 first-round pick plus the 2026 first owed to the team from LAC/Houston/OKC, what sort of role would he play for Philadelphia this fall?

Well, it's not too hard to imagine what Johnson would do, as he's been playing the same role for his entire professional career: 3-point shooting wing.

Largely tasked with playing alongside Bridges both in Phoenix and in Brooklyn, Johnson has largely been used as a stretch four as a pro, even if he could easily play either forward spot, depending on who he's tasked with playing with, by that a four with someone like Anunoby or a three next to a traditional four-man like Julius Randle. Though he can bruise in the paint against smaller defenders and has set a screen or two for his teammates as part of a two-man game, the reason the Moon Township, Pennsylvania native signed a four-year contract worth $108 million is that his ability to nail 3s at a high clip from the four spot gives teams a competitive advantage offensively.

Pair Johnson up with a player like Embiid, who draws in gravity like no one else in the Association, and watch as the 6-foot-8 shooter explodes for the greatest season of his professional career, as he can nail shots from anywhere as a kick-out target, make quick decisions with the ball in his hands to keep the offense going Nicolas Batum-style, and maybe even develop a two man game with “The Process” so there are more pick-and-roll handlers at Nurse's disposal than just Maxey. If Johnson spends the summer working on his inbounds passes, he truly could become the best role player to wear a Sixers uniform next to Embiid all time, earning a legion of fans in the process.

Once considered untouchable, Johnson now finds himself a 28-year-old veteran on a team looking to get younger in a hurry. If Sean Marks is willing to pay up, the 76ers should be first in line to secure his services, especially if they can pair him up with Anunoby.