With the 2025 NBA trade deadline officially two weeks away, you are sure to hear many names being floated around in rumors. The headliners will likely be guys such as Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, Khris Middleton and Brandon Ingram.
For one reason or another, though, all those players are flawed stars — players who cost too much to acquire and, on most rosters, are difficult to create balanced lineups around.
It’s for this reason the real crown jewel of the deadline cycle is Cameron Johnson. As it stands, Johnson is currently wasting away on a Brooklyn Nets team more concerned with their placement in the upcoming draft than winning basketball games. This formula, coupled with his highly portable skillset, makes him the perfect name for teams looking to make a deep playoff run.
Shooting
Even amid all the innovative tactics offenses have come up with to combat a deficiency in this category (see the Cleveland Cavaliers), shooting still reigns supreme in 2024-25. Johnson has that ability fully maxed out.
A career 39.6 percent 3-point shooter, Johnson has taken his marksmanship to a new level this season — converting on 41.9 percent (90th percentile) of his 8.8 threes per 75 possessions (88th percentile, per Dunks & Threes).
Johnson isn’t just a spot-up savant, either. His shooting vocabulary has a versatile quality to it. Yes, he can punctuate paint touches by converting the kickout passes into three points. But he can also come off screens, handoffs or practically any other quick-hitting basketball action to access his on-court superpower.
Instead of using curated clips to try and convey the breadth of Johnson’s shooting arsenal, let’s take a look at his player card on BBall Index (a super useful tool for anyone interested in NBA analytics). Of the 6,305 player seasons catalogued in their extensive database, Johnson’s 2024-25 campaign ranks highly in several categories predicated on shooting/off-ball movement.
Size
Johnson isn’t a supreme wing stopper or pickpocketing defensive playmaker (26th percentile steal rate). This season, he sits in just the 24th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM). However, he has something going for him many other sharpshooters like Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Corey Kispert lack: his size.
At 6-foot-7 (barefoot) with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Johnson, alongside Simone Fontecchio, is tied for seventh in height among the 36 players classified as “movement shooters” in the NBA this year, per CraftedNBA.
On defense, size can make up for a lot of things. If you get beat off the dribble, you have a better chance of recovering with a size advantage. The same is true if you are a hair late on a low man rotation or a box out.
Johnson’s size, instincts and effort have made him a successful defender on teams with a strong defensive ecosystem. During his last full season with the Phoenix Suns (2021-22), they finished third in defensive rating, he placed in the 86th percentile in Defensive EPM while playing 26.2 minutes per game (71st percentile).
It also helps offensively. Not only can he elevate over most defenders to launch his lethal jumper, but he can use his size to attack the basket when opponents try and run him off the line with a fly-by closeout. He’s successfully finishing at the rim on 67.9 percent of his chances, which puts him in the 74th percentile.
Contract
Unlike most role players we see become available at the deadline, Johnson wouldn’t just be a half-season rental for whoever acquires him. After the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, he’s still under contract for another two seasons. That gives his hypothetical new employer plenty of time before they have to worry about negotiating a new deal.
Johnson is on the hook for $43 million total over the next two years. That may seem like a lot, but factoring in the rising salary cap, he’ll only be taking up a little over 13 percent of the cap in 2025-26 and 2026-27 — a reasonable portion for a starting-caliber player. For some perspective, Michael Porter Jr. has the same amount of time left on his contract with the Denver Nuggets, but he’ll be taking up around 24 percent of their salary cap in each of those years.
Johnson is an easy plug-and-play starter who seamlessly fits onto most high-level rosters. Plus, he’s locked into a very fair deal for multiple seasons. The Nets are well aware of this, and as a result, have a relatively high asking price (the word around the street is two first-round picks).
Besides, there is no rush to make a deal right now. Their previous transactions — trading away Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith to a pair of playoff hopefuls — have left them diminished enough to tank, even with Johnson on the roster. They’re 2-13 over their last 15 games.
Still, it could be in someone’s best interest to pay the piper because whoever wins the Johnson sweepstakes may very well end up being the last club standing. His game seamlessly translates across environments and is highly valuable. Teams should rightfully covet those services.
