NBA rumors: Grizzlies' Cam Johnson trade pursuit labeled 'industry noise'
01/13/2025 01:04 PM
The Memphis Grizzlies are in the market for win-now additions amid a hot start to the season. Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson has been rumored as a Grizzlies trade candidate leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, one reporter close to Memphis tempered speculation about a potential deal.
“My read is this is more industry noise than anything. As of right now, there's nothing substantive between Memphis and Brooklyn in regard to a Cam Johnson deal,” the Commerical Appeal’s Damichael Cole wrote in response to a post linking Johnson to Memphis.
My read is this is more industry noise than anything. As of right now, there's nothing substantive between Memphis and Brooklyn in regard to a Cam Johnson deal. https://t.co/8BK8eBJqTX
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) January 13, 2025
League executives expect Johnson to be among the NBA’s most sought-after players leading up to the trade deadline. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter has been one of the league’s top wings this season, averaging 19.5 points per game on 50/44/90 shooting splits.
Johnson ranks fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage among 60 players attempting at least six per game, trailing only Zach LaVine, Kyrie Irving and Norman Powell. The Nets forward has been linked to the Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors, among other teams.
Grizzlies among teams linked to Cam Johnson trade before deadline
Brooklyn has shifted its focus toward draft positioning in year one of a rebuild, trading veterans Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith in the last month. Johnson is the next logical Nets trade candidate. The 28-year-old is expected to generate the most significant return of the three by a wide margin.
The Nets are seeking multiple first-round picks for Johnson, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, with two years left on his contract after this season at $21.5 million annually, they are not obligated to trade him amid his career-best year.
The Grizzlies are facing pressure to make a playoff leap during year six of the Ja Morant era. They’ve looked like a contender thus far, posting the NBA’s sixth-best record (25-14) and fourth-best net rating (7.1). A Johnson addition would bolster Memphis’ fifth-ranked offense alongside Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.
However, Memphis and Brooklyn recently hit a roadblock in trade negotiations for Finney-Smith. The Grizzlies reportedly offered a package of Luke Kennard, John Konchar and a 2025 first-round pick for the veteran wing but insisted on a top-17 protection. They also asked for the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick in the deal.
Brooklyn accepted the Los Angeles Lakers’ offer of D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks instead. The breakdown in negotiations led to “hard feelings emanating” between the Nets and Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
It remains to be seen whether Memphis and Brooklyn will return to the negotiating table during this transaction cycle. League sources told ClutchPoints that the Nets are aiming to avoid taking back significant long-term salaries in trades.
The Grizzlies could use Kennard’s $9.2 million expiring contract as a salary-matcher in a deal. They have three intriguing young wings in Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, and Vince Williams Jr., along with control of their first-round picks through 2031.
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