Cavs are reportedly interested in Cam Johnson
Johnson fits a need, but the Cavs might not have what it costs to get him.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking for an upgrade on the wing this offseason. One way to do that would be trading for Cam Johnson after the Brooklyn Nets kickstarted their fire sale on Monday night.
Chris Fedor of cleveland.com has reported that Johnson is someone the Cavs have loved since 2019 saying, “Johnson would be a logical trade target if Brooklyn, which just sent away Mikal Bridges for a bounty of draft picks, makes Johnson available. Of course, the Cavs would have stiff competition.”
Johnson makes sense for the Cavs. A 6’9” wing that shot 39.1% from three on 6.1 attempts per game last season is exactly what the Cavs need. The issue is they aren’t the only team in the league looking for this type of player. The Boston Celtics championship and the New York Knicks going all in for Bridges shows that wings are the path to winning and everyone knows it. Teams are willing to pay a premium for those types of players.
The Cavs issues are twofold. First, they don’t have future first-round picks to deal away due to the Stepien Rule. They could possibly trade their selection at 20 after they make their selection, but that would be it. They do have numerous second-round picks that they can send out to sweeten the deal.
Secondly, Johnson’s contract for $23.6 million is tough to trade for. Cleveland would need to send out a package that includes Caris LeVert and Georges Niang. I’m not sure if that combined with whoever they’re able to select at 20 would be enough in this market. Adding Jarrett Allen into the deal would make it an overpay.
Even though Johnson has the size and three-point shooting the Cavs need, there are reasons to be concerned about his fit. He isn’t a great rebounder for his position, which could be an issue if the Cavaliers moved away from the two-center model. Johnson has struggled to stay on the court the past two seasons as he’s played in just 88 games in that span.
The Cavs need additional wing depth. Johnson is someone who could help this team right now in the way that whoever they take at 20 wouldn’t be able to do so. The issue always comes back to whether Cleveland has the assets to make a deal possible and if this is the guy to cash in the few remaining trade chips for.