Joe Johnson had a now infamous quote before the NBA season began when he said "it's not that bad here," a statement he made after Deron Williams agreed to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson may have been mistaken though, as the Nets are 10-27, which is the third worst record in the league, and they have just made changes at both the head coach and general manager positions. Despite the awful season that is happening in Brooklyn Johnson still has no interest in seeking a buyout from the Nets, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
Johnson is now 34 years old and in the final year of his contract with the Nets which is paying him nearly $25 million this season. Many people assumed that Johnson wouldn't want to spend one of his remaining years with this awful Nets team so he would look for a buyout from his contract so he could play with a contending team. That doesn't appear to be the case though according to multiple reports.
There are a couple of reasons why Johnson may not want a buyout but the main one is likely the money. Johnson has the second highest salary in the league this season, behind only Kobe Bryant, and if he were to agree to a buyout he would likely not get all of that money. By staying with the Nets Johnson will get all $24.9 million he is owed.
Johnson has been a perennial All-Star throughout his career (7 times) but he has always been criticized for not taking his teams far in the playoffs. Johnson could potentially use this season to join a contending team and bring them some scoring and veteran leadership off the bench, all while chasing after the ring that has escaped him, but it doesn't look like that is forthcoming.
While the Nets have had a very bad season, Johnson has actually been a big part of the problem. The 15 year veteran has appeared in all 37 games but has a PER of just 8.8 and is shooting a career low 37 percent from the field. It seems like father-time has caught up to Johnson in a big way this year even though he has played a little bit better recently and it is fair to wonder whether he would be okay with a small role on a contending team. Johnson has always been a starter in his career (hasn't come off the bench since 2004) and is used to having a big role so maybe that plays a part for Johnson too.
Johnson is in his fourth season with the Nets and he has had a pretty good tenure there including one All-Star appearance and several clutch shots. The Nets would likely be willing to let him go to a contender via a buyout if that's what he wanted but as of right now it looks like Johnson will finish out his contract in Brooklyn.
