Brooklyn’s Crown Jewel?

By Eddie Castro
With the trade deadline less than 3 weeks away, the Brooklyn Nets may very well be active in trading key assets in hopes of reshaping the future of their franchise. The team has already shown their willingness to unload key players having traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors and Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers, securing second-round picks in return. With their most recent trades, the Nets will most likely shift their focus on getting first-round compensation.

The big name that could land them just that is their talented sharpshooter Cameron Johnson. The 27-year old is currently having his best season as a pro averaging 19.5 points a game while shooting a red hot 43.6% from the three-point line. With his offensive abilities being well-documented, Johnson’s rebounding and defensive skills are also solid traits that attract opposing teams.

Although players like Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram can be seen as more popular and polished options at the deadline, their current contracts are quite pricey for teams to be willing to take on where as Johnson’s current contract is considered more team-friendly through the 2026-27 season, making him more attractive for teams looking for a high-quality player at a reasonable price.

With the Nets knowing teams will be knocking on the door for Johnson’s services, Brooklyn is not just going to give him away. Many sources have reported the Nets will be seeking at least two first-rounders in exchange for Johnson with Brooklyn looking to receive as much draft capital to expedite their rebuilding process.

Brooklyn has 31 draft picks within the next 7 drafts including 3 first-round picks in this summer’s draft. Recent history has shown if you trade right, draft right, and stock up on picks, the result fares pretty well for teams.

Just take a look a current team like the Thunder, who are currently the best team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets have overachieved thus far sitting at the No.2 seed in the West and the Orlando Magic who are one of the most exciting young up-and-coming teams out in the East.

All three teams have stockpiled picks and has seen great success after some rough years. The Nets hope to emulate what those teams have done the past few years in hopes to not only seek a playoff appearance, but to lure a Super Star player to take them there.

It is not a foregone conclusion the Nets will or are even willing to trade Cameron Johnson. General Manager Sean Marks is known for making deals that he feels make the Brooklyn Nets a “better’ team for the foreseeable future.

Johnson could very well be a part of the team’s future plans along with their other talented player Cam Thomas. Regardless of what happens, February 6th (trade deadline) is definitely a day to highlight for Nets’ fans and could very well be the turning point for the franchise and where they will be for years to come.

Sports Notes: (Football) As we go to press, there are reports that Detroit Lions Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the front-runner to land the head coaching job with the New York Jets. Glenn has a long history with the organization.

He was selected in the first-round of the NFL draft in 1994 by the Jets and played 8 seasons for the team from 1994-2001. Glenn is known to be one of the best defensive coordinators in football.