Joe Johnson officially signs with Miami Heat

Joe Johnson has officially signed with the Miami Heat after being waived days ago by the Brooklyn Nets.

Joe Johnson’s incredibly large contract didn’t play out like the Brooklyn Nets had wanted it to in his time with the team. The Nets recently bought out Johnson’s contract and waived him since the two parties were no longer seeing eye-to-eye, and Johnson being the focal point of a championship run obviously has not and won’t work. Teams had a chance to claim Johnson while he was on the waiver wire for his existing contract of nearly $25 million, but that is much too high for what Johnson is currently worth.

Johnson cleared the waiver wire on Saturday, and shortly after that deadline passed and he became a free agent, Heat owner Micky Arison indicated that the deal — which had been rumored over the past days — was official, and Johnson would join the team for their next game on the road against the New York Knicks.

Johnson was gaining interest from several teams around the league. Although he hasn’t produced like the Nets expected him to, the Nets also failed to put the right pieces around him, and failed as a franchise altogether over the past few seasons, coming to a basement-level low this year. The Cleveland Cavaliers wanted him, and LeBron James was not quiet about that. The Toronto Raptors wanted him, and DeMar DeRozan was not quiet about that. Both of these teams could have possibly provided Johnson with a chance to be on a team competing for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Heat may make the playoffs, but aren’t expected to make it deep, and certainly aren’t expected to make it all the way to the Finals with some of the powerhouses in the East.

In a way, Johnson has it made. He had his contract bought out, he doesn’t have to play for the pitiful Nets anymore, gets to live in South Beach, and doesn’t have any pressure of winning a title on him. He’s certainly not what he used to be when he was an All-Star, but this deal with Miami could help motivate him to get back to near the level that he used to be at.