NBA rumors: Cam Johnson named most likely player traded before deadline
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Despite moving Dennis Schroder earlier in the year, the Brooklyn Nets are expected to still be positioned as sellers ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Of the several trade candidates on their roster, breakout star Cam Johnson is expected to be at the top of the list with the most demand.
While the Nets do not have any true untouchables, Johnson is the player opposing general managers are eyeing the most, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps. With a 14-27 record midway through the season, Brooklyn is widely expected to tank the rest of the way.
“The Nets, who were the early movers in the trade market by trading both Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith over the past few weeks, continue to hunt for as many ping-pong balls as possible in the upcoming NBA draft lottery,” Windhorst and Bontemps wrote. “[Cam] Johnson is arguably the one difference-making player who could change teams over the next several weeks.”
In his sixth season, Johnson has fully emerged for the Nets. While he has always been one of the best shooters in the league, he has increased his production to 19.6 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from deep in 2024-2025.
Johnson will make over $20 million for each of the next three seasons. His remaining contract guarantees over $65 million, giving only a few teams the means to acquire his talents.
The Nets’ tanking rumors intensified after general manager Sean Marks all but confirmed that he does not care about winning as much as he does about preparing his team’s future. His statement made most of his team’s veterans — including Johnson, 28 — expendable.
Nets trade assets beyond Cam Johnson
In addition to Cam Johnson, Windhorst and Bontemps also identified center Nicolas Claxton as a potential trade candidate. However, no player on Brooklyn’s roster is safe from being moved ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
The Nets would love to move high-priced veterans Ben Simmons and Bojan Bogdanovic but will be hard-pressed to find a suitor willing to take on either contract. D’Angelo Russell and De’Anthony Melton also seem to be settled after being recently traded to the team. Any other player could be moved before Feb. 6.
Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams, Trendon Watford and Tyrese Martin are all potential names to monitor on expiring contracts. Noah Clowney is another intriguing name, though teams would have a tough time prying the 20-year-old away from Marks.
Marks is likely interested in keeping 23-year-old volume scorer Thomas and 22-year-old Swiss Army knife Keon Johnson. Thomas, however, will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer and is expected to pursue a lucrative contract extension. If Brooklyn decides to oblige, they will have the ability to do so with Simmons’ $40 million contract coming off their books at the same time.
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