The NBA draft is in the rearview mirror, with the Brooklyn Nets welcoming three rookies for the upcoming season. The Nets' focus now shifts to free agency, where Cam Johnson's impending negotiations will headline their priorities.

Johnson is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 15.5 points per game on 47/40/84 shooting splits for the Phoenix Suns and Nets. He was Brooklyn's top playoff performer during a first-round sweep against the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 18.5 points on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three (7.0 attempts per game).

That career year has several teams lining up to pursue the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter in restricted free agency. The Detroit Pistons could be at the top of that list, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

“There is a rising belief leaguewide that Johnson will indeed prove to be Detroit’s No. 1 free agent target despite Brooklyn’s ability to match any offer sheet,” Stein wrote Monday.

It's no surprise that the Pistons, who have over $27 million in cap space, will make a run at Johnson after his former head coach, Monty Williams, signed a record-breaking deal last month. Detroit could extend Johnson an offer sheet as high as four years, $100 million, according to The Athletic.

General manager Sean Marks indicated Thursday that Brooklyn could be preparing for a bloated offer to Johnson:

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Marks said of Johnson's free agency. “I don’t know. I think it’s one of those things that maybe we should expect the unexpected. Things happen all the time in this. We’ll be prepared for that.”

“Cam knows how we feel about him. We hope he's a Net. We'll just have to sort of play it all out. We've got a nice young group, and he can see how this group has a chance to do something special here.”

Such an offer will put the Nets in a bind if they hope to reset their luxury tax bill this summer. Brooklyn has $151 million committed to 14 players, with the luxury tax line set at $162 million. Re-signing Johnson at $25 million would put the Nets deep into the tax for the fourth consecutive season. Teams exceeding the tax line three times in four years are subject to the repeater tax, meaning they pay $2.50 per every dollar salary over. That figure increases to $2.75, $3.50 and $4.25 for every additional $5 million.

The Nets then have to consider the spending limitations of the new CBA, which imposes harsh penalties on teams that exceed the $179.5 million second apron. Re-signing Johnson at $25 million would push Brooklyn just $3 million short of that number with one roster spot remaining.

If Brooklyn hopes to avoid passing the second apron in this scenario, they must dump another player to a team with cap space or a trade exception. If they hope to get out of the luxury tax altogether, they would have to dump over $14 million in salary.

Johnson has indicated a desire to make the Nets his long-term home, speaking highly of the organization during his exit interview. He also made noteworthy comments about finding a place to live in Brooklyn during a recent podcast appearance.

The Nets have the advantage of having Johnson's “Twin,” Mikal Bridges, under contract for the next three seasons. Bridges has been vocal about his desire for both parties to come to an agreement. However, after turning down a four-year contract from Phoenix worth as high as $72 million last season, Johnson is unlikely to give Brooklyn a significant hometown discount in what will be his first big-time payday.

The Nets will have 48 hours to match any offer sheet extended to Johnson. Free agency begins on June 30th at 6 PM.