NBA Mock Trade: Cavaliers Grab Cameron Johnson From Nets

The Cleveland Cavaliers have surprised as one of the best team’s in the league so far this year, boasting an NBA-best 36-6 record.

That’s, of course, been fueled by their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, all of which have earned some All-Star consideration.

Still, the team isn’t looking to stay pat at the trade deadline, and reportedly fancies Nets’ sharpshooter Cameron Johnson amidst a career-best season. With Brooklyn being one of the league’s biggest sellers to this point — having offloaded Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith already — a deal for Johnson between the two teams makes plenty of sense.

Let’s evaluate what a trade involving Johnson could look like between the Cavaliers and Nets:

Cleveland Cavaliers get: Cameron Johnson

Brooklyn Nets get: Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, 2031 Cavaliers FRP, 2025-2026-2027 Cavaliers SRP

According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Nets were seeking two first round picks for Johnson, who’s averaging a career-high 19.5 points on 43% 3-point shooting so far this season. While that seems fair in theory for a lengthy scorer, teams haven’t taken the bait so far. Jake Fischer even recently reported that the Thunder — who own the largest cache of picks in the league — no longer seem to be a candidate for Johnson. And the lack of others to get a deal done quickly could mean that the wing simply won’t fetch that on the trade market.

If that’s the case, Brooklyn might consider the above deal, or something similar, from Cleveland.

The Nets get a reclamation project in forward Isaac Okoro, who was drafted at No. 5 overall, but has yet to find his NBA rhythm, potentially calling for a chance in scenery. Additionally, they add Georges Niang as a flipper. The key component the Nets get back is the 2031 unprotected pick, which is highly valuable given how far out it is. There’s little to no chance the team’s core remains together that long, and it’s anyone’s guess how successful Cleveland will be in seven years.

While it couldn’t nab two firsts, Brooklyn does make it out with three second round picks, which have exponentially grown in value with a few key teams owning so many firsts.

Cleveland is able to fit Johnson snugly in between its star frontcourt and backcourt, or even bring him off the bench as the offensive-minded sixth man. Regardless, his 3-point shooting and general scoring touch would be a welcome addition to one of the best and most versatile teams in the NBA.

The Nets could very well have better deals than this on the table, and instead be trying to drive up the asking price by waiting closer to the trade deadline to make a decision. But there's certianly worse packages to offload players for, especially when better draft picks are the goal.

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