Nets' Cam Johnson on Future: ‘I Have a Very Vested Interest in What We’re Doing'

Brooklyn Nets wing Cam Johnson was candid about his future with the team during his end-of-season media availability on Monday night.

“I have a very vested interest in what we're doing here,” Johnson said.

Johnson is coming off the best season of his career. Over 57 games, he averaged a career-high 18.8 points and 3.4 assists while making 39% of his 7.2 attempted 3-pointers. Johnson also pitched in with 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 ‘stocks’ while finishing with his highest field goal percentage yet (47.5 FG%).

He said: “I feel like I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to be a part of this program, and I take that very seriously. I feel like I've also been given responsibility to have that approach.”

The 28-year-old sharpshooter has been constantly linked with moves away from Brooklyn since first landing in the borough via the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns. Johnson was probably the name with the most buzz ahead of the previous Feb. 6 league-wide trade deadline. Teams such as the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors were all reportedly circling around Johnson, but the Nets opted to stay put.

Johnson made $22.5 million this season, but his apron salary came with an additional $4.5 million in unlikely bonuses. That made any trade deal even trickier because of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which coerces teams to stay away from effectively creating a roster structure where only three players make massive money. Instead, there is now more of a focus on “value contracts,” per Nets general manager Sean Marks on Monday.

“I would definitely like to know everything that's going on — I understand that I'm not going to be let in on every decision or have [a] say it every decision — but I would like to know going forward,” Johnson said. “But it is also my job to, at this point, work on myself, get better and handle whatever comes, all being a pro in the situation.”

Johnson previously told HoopsHype that he would like to "build" the Nets. He also mentioned wanting to compete at a high level earlier in the year. The Nets' wing's comments have been consistent since media day at the start of this season.

The Nets’ regular season is over, but the team still has dates to look forward to on the NBA calendar — namely, the NBA Draft lottery on May 12 and then the actual draft on June 25 and 26. Brooklyn is currently projected to draft at Nos. 6, 20, 26 and 27. The team has 31 picks (15 first-rounders, 16 second-rounders) over the next seven years.