In a roundtable discussion, four writers from ESPN discussed where Joe Johnson is going to play next year. Two of them suggested that he could be bought this year.
None of them thinks that he will be with the Brooklyn Nets for very long. The Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers pursued him with different levels of interest this summer. The New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors showed interest as well.
According to Nets Daily, both Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst raised the possibility of buyout after the trade deadline on Feb. 8, 2016 if the Brooklyn Nets cannot move him and his $24.9 million salary.
Stein said: "[T]he more interesting question might be: Will Johnson finish this season in Brooklyn? There are some folks around the league who wonder if the Nets would consent to buying out Johnson after the Feb. 18 trade deadline if they can't move him. The Nets would naturally dismiss any such suggestions, given that they have no other choice but to try to win as many games as they can before sending their unprotected 2016 top pick to Boston. But they also frequently insisted that they wouldn't buy out Deron Williams before ultimately doing so."
On the other hand, Windhorst had this to say: "[W]here's he going to be playing at the end of this season? He's a buyout candidate in late February to me. He has made more than $170 million in his career. So I see him signing with the best team who wants him and maybe looking to the West for whatever they can pay him. As a role player, shooter off the bench and/or floor-stretcher who has hit clutch shots, Johnson would be the type of veteran for which contenders would compete."
Meanwhile, King James Gospel reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers looked into trading Johnson this offseason. But the Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade both Anderson Varejao and Brendan Haywood's contracts together with some amount to match Johnson's huge contract. But with the Cleveland Cavaliers turning Haywood's paper into a Traded Player Exception, the Cleveland Cavaliers cannot deal for Johnson.
However, if they really want to acquire Johnson without trading any of their players, they can simply let go of Jared Cunningham who has a non-guaranteed contract in order to sign Johnson in.
