Nets $94 million sharpshooter named 'sleeper' trade target for Mavericks

The forward has been placed in a lot of mock trades recently.

Mar 24, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) shoots the ball during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The offseason is here for the Dallas Mavericks, much earlier than they anticipated. They missed the playoffs after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament, as the season was marred by injuries and two disastrous trades, which included the trades of Luka Doncic and Quentin Grimes.

That leaves Nico Harrison with a lot of evaluation to do about his roster. Dallas doesn't have a lot of financial flexibility this offseason with cap space and tax apron space, so any major upgrades will have to come via the trade market.

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Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Michael Saenz of the FanSided site Sir Charles in Charge put a list together of "sleeper" summer trade targets for every team, listing Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Cameron Johnson as a target for the Mavs.

"With the uncertainty that surrounds the Dallas Mavericks heading into the offseason, it's almost impossible to predict what's going to lie ahead for this franchise in 2025-26. Kyrie Irving is injured and expected to miss the majority of the season, and if that is indeed the case, that puts a ton of pressure on Anthony Davis' shoulders. And that's not necessarily a good thing historically.
"But that's why a potential trade for Cam Johnson could make all the sense in the world for the Mavs. Johnson could help on the offensive end of the floor until Kyrie is healthy and ready to return and when the Mavs are completely healthy, he could help this team emerge as a legit championship threat in the Western Conference. It's a trade that could help on several levels for the Mavs this season, and beyond."

Johnson could be a better fit at small forward than P.J. Washington, who is more of a power forward in today's NBA. However, because of the Anthony Davis trade, Washington has had to play out of position more.

Brooklyn is fully embracing a rebuild and sold off a few veterans last season to acquire more future capital, and Cam Johnson is someone who has consistently been in rumors for the last few years. He averaged 18.8 PPG while shooting 39% from three on over seven attempts per game. His three-point shooting is what makes him so valuable to a lot of NBA teams, so it's going to take the right price to pry him out of Brooklyn, including at least one first-round pick, more than likely.

Dallas needs more on-ball shooting creation than anything, so this may not be an ideal fit. Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March and is expected to be out until at least January, so they'll need someone to fill that space until then. Johnson is many things, but a shot-creator off the dribble is not one of them.

READ MORE: Recent Mavericks changes signal unfortunate Nico Harrison news

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