DeMar DeRozan thinks Toronto Raptors should pursue Joe Johnson

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan thinks his team would be smart to go after Joe Johnson.

After the Brooklyn Nets took another step back this season by waiving their guard Joe Johnson after buying out his contract, he quickly became the most popular free agent in the NBA. Johnson, a former All-Star, still has a lot of qualities he could offer to almost any NBA team, especially ones competing for a playoff spot. The deadline for a free agent to be playoff eligible after signing with a team is quickly approaching, so teams need to act soon if they hope to have him for their playoff runs.

Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan implied that the team might be smart to go after Johnson. When asked about the team pursuing him, DeRozan said he “sure wouldn’t want to play against him.”

Of course, there’s several things to consider here. First off, the Raptors need to be sure they could get him for the right price, and then they need to make sure they have the room to fit him into their rotation. They already have a solid starting backcourt with Kyle Lowry and DeRozan, so Johnson might not have the best fit here. Johnson probably won’t sign anywhere that doesn’t have a solid plan for working him into games.

According to recent reports, the most likely landing spots for Johnson — or the places that he has his eyes set on — are the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks. Toronto hasn’t been brought up as much as those two, so it’s not likely that he ends up in Toronto, but it’s worth noting that DeRozan is talking about the idea of bringing him in.

Of course, it’s also not the best basis to sign players just because you don’t want to play against them.