Joe Johnson’s buyout is good news for the Celtics (even if he isn’t coming to Boston)
Anything that makes the Nets worse this season helps the Celtics in the long run.
COMMENTARY
The deconstruction of the Brooklyn Nets continued on Thursday afternoon, when the team announced it had waived seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson.
The 34-year-old was one of the few bright spots for the 16-42 Nets this year, averaging 11.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. He also led the team in minutes played (33.9 per game) in his 15th NBA season.
With free agency looming for him and the NBA’s trade deadline passed, Johnson gave up $3 million in salary to secure his buyout in order to join a playoff team down the stretch, according to Nets general manager Sean Marks.
Citing unnamed league sources, Shams Charania of The Vertical reported Friday that Johnson has agreed to sign with the Miami Heat after clearing waivers on Saturday. The Celtics were initially considered a possible landing spot for Johnson after his buyout, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Even with Johnson reportedly going to Miami, his departure from Brooklyn with less than two months remaining in the 2015-16 season can have major positive ramifications for the Celtics thanks to them owning the Nets’ 2016 first-round draft pick.
JOHNSON’S IMPACT ON THE NETS
Don’t let Brooklyn’s win over the tanking Phoenix Suns without Johnson on Thursday fool you: The 16-win Nets will struggle even more without their most experienced player the rest of the way. After a slow start to the season, Johnson has been stellar on the offensive end of the floor since the start of January, averaging 13.4 points on 48-percent shooting from the field. His 3-point shooting over that span (46 percent on four attempts per game) made him one of the few Nets players who defenses were forced to respect on the perimeter.
How bad have things gotten for the Nets this year without Johnson on the floor? The team has a minus 13.7 net rating in the 812 minutes he’s watched from the sidelines, which includes a dismal 93.0 offensive rating. That’s the largest offensive drop off in the team’s performance when a player is sitting on the bench this year.
Needless to say, Brooklyn’s 28th-rated offense should take a hit without Johnson. The Nets will likely struggle to cobble together many more wins in the final 24 regular-season games without his shot creation abilities.
THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS
Currently, the Nets have the fourth-worst record in the NBA, two games behind the Phoenix Suns who are riding a 13-game losing streak. Brooklyn is in the midst of its own nine-game road trip out West, so a further slide down the standings is now conceivable with a tough schedule looming. Sixteen of Brooklyn’s final 24 regular-season games will be played away from Barclays Center, the most any team in the NBA has remaining on the road.
That challenging slate should only increase the odds of Brooklyn landing a top-3 pick that would be sent to the Celtics for the 2016 NBA Draft. With the Sixers and Lakers firmly entrenched with the league’s worst two records, it will likely be a three-horse race down the stretch for the next three slots in the NBA lottery between the Nets, Suns and Timberwolves.
Johnson’s absence does not just increase the odds of a better Nets’ pick heading Boston’s way this June, though. His departure from Brooklyn could negatively impact the Nets’ long-term plans. It’s unclear whether Johnson would have had interest in returning to Brooklyn after this season if he played out the year in New York, but his absence will surely make it tougher for Marks to sell free agents on teaming up with Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and little else of substance in Brooklyn.
With the Celtics owning rights to the Nets’ first-round picks in 2016 and 2018 as well as the right to swap first-round selections with Brooklyn in 2017, Boston stands to benefit even more from the tough road that lies ahead for Brooklyn. Whether it’s this May or a couple seasons from now, the Celtics can likely count on having a few more ping pong balls heading their way, thanks to Johnson’s departure.
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