Report: Nets, Grizzlies discussed Joe Johnson trade
The Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies recently discussed a trade that would have sent veteran forward Joe Johnson to Memphis, reports ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
According to the report, the teams could not agree on details, but the Nets still feel they can deal the seven-time All-Star.
Johnson, 33, has spent the last three seasons with Brooklyn, after spending seven seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and four seasons with the Phoenix Suns. He was traded to Brooklyn from Atlanta during the summer of 2012 for five players.
Johnson has one season remaining on six-year, $123.7 million contract he signed in 2010. He is set to make $24.9 million next season.
According to the report, the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons showed interest in Johnson earlier this year, but those teams ultimately made deals with other players.
2015 NBA free agents: Sorted by team
Memphis had also gauged interest in forward Danilo Gallinari, but the team has not been able to make a deal work.
After the Nets were eliminated in the first round by the Hawks, Johnson told the New York Daily News that he didn’t know if the same team would return next season and that he would not be surprised if he were traded.
Center Brook Lopez and guard Alan Anderson reportedly exercised the player options in their contracts and opted out, making them unrestricted free agents.
• MORE NBA:Free agency questions | Draft winners/losers | Teams under fire
“I have no idea. Something’s going to happen. I don’t know what. I don’t see us coming back as the same team. This is my third year here," Johnson said in early May, according to the New York Daily News. "I could see if we were getting better each year, but it’s kind of been the opposite. So to not even be a .500 ball club in the East. It’s disheartening and I don’t know. I think everyone in that locker room is unsure of the future here. So we’ll see what happens going into the summer.”
Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 80 games this season. The 14.4 point scoring average was his lowest since the 2002-03 season.
- Scooby Axson
