Inside The Nets

Should Nets Regret Not Trading Cam Johnson?

Cam Johnson is still on the Brooklyn Nets, but is that a good or bad thing?
Jeremy Brener|
Jan 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson (2) shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson (2) shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

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Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets made the somewhat surprising decision to keep Cam Johnson at the trade deadline despite a lot of rumored interest from rivals in acquiring him.

The Nets also were interested in potentially moving him, as evidenced by the trades of Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith earlier in the season.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey believes Johnson should have been dealt by the Nets at the deadline.

"They made moves this past offseason to regain control of their 2025 first-round pick. They found new homes for Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. All signs were pointing to them bottoming out and aggressively chasing this summer's top pick," Bailey writes.

"But good coaching and hanging onto the 29-year-old Johnson may keep them just competitive enough to wind up in the back half of the lottery.

"Ideally, with the fantasy trade day we're dealing with here, Brooklyn would send Johnson just about anywhere in an effort to lose more consistently over the last several weeks of the season.

"As we work our way through the rest of this exercise, you'll see multiple spots where the sweet-shooting, highly malleable forward would fit well."

The Nets keeping Johnson may not have continued a pattern of moves that the team had created before, but it gives them something to work with in the offseason and beyond when trading is available again.

The fact that the Nets are looking at the broader picture may give them an edge over other lottery teams trying to make the leap towards contender status.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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