Joe Johnson is now a free agent after being bought out by the Brooklyn Nets. Where should he finish 2015-16 NBA campaign with in a late season playoff push?
On Thursday, February 25th, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that the Brooklyn Nets were in the process of orchestrating a buyout for their former All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson. Stein reported a handful of teams that would have interest in signing Johnson to a veteran minimum after the impending Nets buyout.
Sources tell ESPN several playoff teams (Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, OKC and Toronto) are already in pursuit of Joe Johnson
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 25, 2016
While Johnson is clearly past his prime, he is still one of the games best go-to scorers at shooting guard. Teams have liked his scoring talent since his early days with the Phoenix Suns and his rise to an All-Star level with the Atlanta Hawks in the mid-2000s.
However, it had been the albatross of a contract Johnson had signed while with the Hawks that was eventually traded to the Nets in the Summer of 2012. Now that Johnson is a free agent after the Nets’ buyout, there are three teams that could conceivably land the seven-time NBA All-Star: Atlanta, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Miami Heat.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Heat are the presumed front-runners for Johnson’s services the rest of the way. Lowe expects that Johnson will sign with the Heat sometime between Friday afternoon through the end of the weekend Sunday.
The Heat expect to sign Joe Johnson today or this weekend, sources say.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 26, 2016
While Cleveland does have a need for jump shooting down the stretch and Atlanta could use him in a perimeter scoring role off the bench in a sixth man role, the Heat’s need for proven scorer on an already depleted roster is the most pressing situation.
Miami, due to unforeseen injuries, has only 10 players on its active roster that are healthy. The Heat could be without All-Star power forward Chris Bosh indefinitely due to reoccurring issues with blood clots. Face of the franchise Dwyane Wade constantly needs rest to stay at an All-Star level.
While the Heat are a top-five defensive team under head coach Erik Spoelstra in 2015-16, the Heat have had their issues with putting the ball through the hoop consistently. Though Johnson needs the ball in his hands to be an effective NBA player, there are few players that can make more tough shots consistently and get their offense out of bad possessions with points than Johnson. It’s a fantastic fit for the Heat to sign Johnson for their late season push in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.