The Brooklyn Nets will have to find another NBA team to deal with after talks with the Memphis Grizzlies concerning Joe Johnson reportedly bogged down.
Both teams failed to come up with an amicable deal, which would have given the Grizzlies additional firepower.
Despite the failed talks, the development has been taken positively by the Nets, seeing that moving Johnson could eventually materialize soon.
One thing that has been making it hard for the Nets to move Johnson is his contract.
Johnson is owed $24.9 million headed into next season. Those large numbers are proving to be a stumbling block as teams try to find an optimal salary budget for the coming season, not to mention avoiding the luxury tax penalties.
Aside from the Grizzlies, other teams which had expressed interest on Johnson included the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons.
The Hornets are looking to load up their wing shooters and Johnson would have been a perfect fit. Johnson would have been perfect to take the place of Lance Stephenson who was earlier traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.
All that may have been shot down however after the Grizzlies acquired Nicolas Batum from the Portland Trailblazers.
Detroit would have been another fit for Johnson but the team eventually landed Ersan Ilyanova from the Milwaukee Bucks.
For now, there are no other teams who have expressed interest though all that may change when the NBA Free Agency brouhaha simmers down.
Johnson is aware of his fate, though he isn’t a bit surprised. "I don't think anyone is indispensable, and that includes me", he said via ESPN. Moreover, he is not the only player the Nets are trying to unload.
Another player that the Nets are trying to shop is Deron Williams. However compared to Johnson, Williams could be harder to move. Williams is set to make $21 million next season and $22.3 million by the 2016-17 NBA season.
Other than those high figures, it is the dip in Williams’ performance that has failed to attract takers. Regardless, the Nets do not plan to buy out Williams’ contract or to use a stretch provision. Williams does however has the option to opt out on his final year.
The Nets are trying to trade some of their high-salaried players as they prepare to offer Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young lucrative deals. Aside from that, the team wants to rid themselves of the dreaded luxury tax penalty.
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