The Brooklyn Nets are looking to turnover a new leaf by trying to get rid of some big name salaries this summer to start new with a different looking team. The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to get some help with scoring on the wing and trying to bring in some talent to make a title push next season.
So a Joe Johnson trade to the Grizzlies seemed like a match made in heaven, right? Well, almost but it appears that Memphis wasn’t buying what Brooklyn was selling.
Following from ESPN’s Marc Stein.
The Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies recently discussed a potential trade to send former All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson to the reigning Southwest Division champions, according to league sources.
The teams could not find a workable deal and have tabled discussions, but sources told ESPN.com that the Nets were encouraged enough in general to believe that they will ultimately find a trade taker for Johnson’s mammoth contract, which only has one season left to run but at a massive $24.9 million in 2015-16.
The Grizzlies weren’t the only team looking at Johnson as an option, as Stein also reports. The Pistons and Hornets were also considered to be interested in Johnson but they weren’t able to strike deals with the Nets, partially due to Johnson’s ridiculously huge contract number that comes with his expiring talent. Instead, the Pistons acquired perimeter help in Ersan Ilyasova and the Hornets acquired Nicolas Batum to help them on the wing.
If the Nets want to dump Johnson or Williams, they might have to stop looking to get some talent back in order to do so. They were able to get their guy on NBA draft night in Rondae Hollis=Jefferson but they had to give up Mason Plumlee and a highly regarded prospect in Pat Connaughton. While they managed to make that deal work out, getting rid of the other 2 big contracts in Johnson and Deron Williams, like they have been trying all season, may be close to impossible. The team is optimistic they will be able to unload Johnson but you have to wonder what teams are willing to give up for him. It might be time for the team to cut their losses and just take what they can get and start to rebuild around someone else.
