Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Joe Johnson Trade With Brooklyn Nets Close
Cleveland Cavaliers trade rumors link the team to Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets. The Cavaliers want to trade for Johnson to immediately improve the offense in Cleveland. A report from ESPN on Sunday (July 5) states that the two teams are close in negotiations, but the deal is not yet imminent. The Nets are simply trying to dump salary to avoid a hefty luxury tax penalty. Johnson is currently the second highest paid player in the NBA, with his salary of $24.9 million for the 2015-16 season, only behind the $25 million of Kobe Bryant.
The Cavaliers have a huge asset in a $10.5 million non-guaranteed contract that center Brendan Haywood has. If the Nets were to acquire him before an August 1 deadline, the team could waive him and not have to pay any of his salary. It would be unfortunate for Haywood, but he would then become a free agent able to sign with any other team. To complete this deal, the Cavaliers would also likely send Anderson Vaejao and the $9.6 million he will make in the 2015-16 NBA season.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, other Cleveland Cavaliers trade rumors have included former All-Star David West. The team has been aggressively pursuing him ever since he opted out of his contract with the Indiana Pacers, meaning the Cavs could sign him without losing any assets. If the team does trade Varejao, it would open up a roster slot that West could then slide into. The trick here, is that he would have to take a huge pay cut, likely accepting either the mid-level exception at around $3 million, or the veteran’s minimum at about $1.5 million. That would be a huge pay cut from the $12.6 million he stood to make from the Pacers next season.
Last season, with the Brooklyn Nets, Joe Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He played 34.9 minutes a night for the Nets, starting all 80 games that he played in. Johnson struggled a bit from the field, hitting just 43.5 percent of his shots, but he has also been a high-volume type shooter. His main weapon is from three-point range, where he is a career 37.1 percent shooter that can catch fire during games. He will be 34-years-old in the 2015-16 NBA season, and is entering the final year of his current contract.
These Cleveland Cavaliers rumors make a lot of sense for both teams, as it helps the Cavs add some veteran offense to the starting lineup, and for the Brooklyn Nets, it helps shed a lot of salary. The deal appears close enough that Joe Johnson, Brendan Haywood, and Anderson Varejao could be playing for new teams very soon.
[Image Source: Jason Miller/Getty Images]
