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This year's trade deadline shook the NBA. However, all was quiet on the Brooklyn Nets front. General Manager Sean Marks stood pat, holding Cam Johnson, who several league executives named the most likely impact player to be dealt before Feb. 6.
With the Nets tanking for a top draft selection, Johnson had been a mainstay in trade rumors, linked to the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, amongst other teams. However, league sources told ClutchPoints that Brooklyn was not actively shopping the veteran wing, who has two years left on his contract.
Teams that reached out were met with a steep asking price. And when the clock struck 3 PM on Thursday, Johnson remained a Net.
“When the stuff happened a couple of years ago, it was kinda weird, but it was Phoenix and Brooklyn. This one was a little different because I heard a lot of different stuff,” Johnson said of the trade rumors. “Every three days, somebody is coming to me with something completely different. I didn't wanna give my energy to any of those situations because you're just setting yourself up for whatever. So it was a completely different experience for me. I think that the rumors have been moving quickly since Mikal [Bridges] got traded. And maybe even before or around then.
Every time my agent called me over the summer, it was like, is something going down? I don't know. It's kinda been like that for a long time, and you kinda just deal with it. Straight up. It is what it is. It ain't going nowhere. Except now, at least there's gonna be a little cushion where it's gonna calm down, and then, who knows? Maybe it picks up again.”
Johnson is having a career-best season for the rebuilding Nets. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter has been among the NBA's most efficient scorers, averaging 19.3 points per game on 49/42/90 shooting splits. He leads the league in effective field goal percentage among players attempting at least 12 field goals and seven threes per game.
While trading him in the summer or earlier this year could have bolstered Brooklyn's tank, the draft lottery landscape has taken shape with a third of the season remaining. Brooklyn looks increasingly likely to finish with the fifth or sixth-best odds. With teams unwilling to meet his asking price, Marks had no urgency to move Johnson.
Cam Johnson opens up on trade speculation after quiet Nets deadline
However, in year one of a rebuild, the prevailing sentiment has been that the soon-to-be-29-year-old does not fit Brooklyn's new timeline. Does Johnson feel he's been overlooked as a player who could impact the team's next iteration?
“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.”
While the Nets just began their 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 mix if a star of their liking becomes available. Giannis Antetokounmpo is rumored to be their top target amid the Milwaukee Bucks' continued struggles.
If the Nets attempt to take a significant step toward contention, Johnson is the type of player they want around.
“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,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “And that's what we're building here. All that speculation kind of came from the outside. We obviously value Cam Johnson, and we want him here. He's been great. He's gonna continue to be great. That's the thing right now. He's not the type of person that he's gonna relax and be like, ‘Ok, I'm here.' No, he's gonna keep working, he's gonna keep getting better and he's gonna keep doing what's best for the team.”
Jordi Fernandez on Cam Johnson remaining with the Nets through the trade deadline:
“He’s the type of person that you want around, that you want in your family… All that speculation came from the outside. We obviously value Cam Johnson, and we want him here." pic.twitter.com/sv9GodCgyK
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 8, 2025
For now, Cam Johnson will finish the season in Brooklyn without the shadow of potential trades looming over him. The six-year veteran is among the most respected voices in a Nets locker room that features 11 players age 24 or younger.
“That's my dog, man,” said Trendon Watford. “We got closer this year, with us being around each other for another year. There was a lot of speculation on whether he was going to be here [past the deadline], but I don't think it affected him at all. It's always good to have a teammate like CJ and a brother like CJ. He looks night and day different to me [on the court] from last year. I think he's been hooping, man. And in a few weeks, he gonna win the three-point contest.”