NBA rumors: Kings have had 'extensive' Cam Johnson trade talks with Nets
01/02/2025 11:19 AM
Despite firing Mike Brown, the Sacramento Kings have not given up on their season just yet. With just over one month until the 2025 trade deadline, the Kings are expected to be active, with Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson well within their sights.
As they scramble to improve their roster, the Kings have made their interest in Johnson “known” through “extensive talks” with the Nets, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. Johnson is not their only target but appears to be the one they have shown the most interest in.
“For now, with the Kings sitting 12th in the West, team sources say they are focusing on improving the current roster while shutting down any and all inquiries regarding [De’Aaron] Fox,” Amick wrote. “Specifically, the Kings are known to have had extensive talks with the Brooklyn Nets about small forward Cam Johnson. There is an internal awareness that the roster needs to be improved, and the Johnson pursuit is just one of many avenues the Kings are known to be exploring.”
Johnson is currently in just the second year of the four-year extension he signed in July 2023. Through 31 games, he is currently averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game. His significant sixth-year leap has made him a hot name to monitor ahead of the deadline, with the 12-21 Nets expected to position themselves as sellers.
Kings’ shooting woes in 2024-2025
Acquiring Johnson would address the Kings’ painfully obvious lack of shooting. They connect on just 11.8 three-pointers per game, the sixth-fewest in the league. Johnson is currently hitting 3.2 threes per game for the Nets, soaring over Malik Monk’s 2.3 per game, which currently leads Sacramento.
Entering the year, the Kings expected Kevin Huerter — a career 37.6 percent shooter from deep — to be their biggest threat from behind the arc. But through the first three months of the season, Huerter is hitting a career-low 30.3 percent of his three-point attempts, a slump that has booted him from the starting lineup.
Without a true shooting threat, spacing has often been an issue. All three of the Kings’ leading scorers — De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Demar DeRozan — have never been considered major threats from deep. Huerter’s struggles have forced Monk, the team’s former sixth man, into the starting lineup, further weakening their depth.
Doug McDermott and Keon Ellis have also been considered for shooting help, though neither has been reliable enough to make an impact. While both shoot over 40 percent from downtown, neither has had the consistency to match. McDermott averages just 9.1 minutes per game, while Ellis attempts just 3.3 three-pointers per contest.
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