The Brooklyn Nets have lost nine of their last 10 games, and at this point it is abundantly clear they are not making the playoffs unless a miracle happens. Because of this, it's time to consider what kind of moves the Nets might be able to make to set themselves up for the future as the trade deadline approaches. One of the names that is often brought up when talking about potential Nets trades is Joe Johnson, but it seems very unlikely that he gets traded, according to Netsdaily.com.
On the surface it seems like it would make a lot of sense for both sides if the Nets were able to work out a deal that would send Johnson to a better team. For Johnson, he would get off one of the worst teams in the league and potentially get to chase a championship (Johnson is now 34 years old and may not have many more years left in him). For the Nets, they would be getting rid of his huge salary and freeing up minutes for younger players, but it is not that easy, as there are plenty of obstacles in the way here.
The first obstacle is that the Nets need to win as many games as possible in order to ensure that they aren't just handing the Boston Celtics one of the top picks in the next NBA Draft. At this point it seems like a guarantee that pick will be in the lottery, but the Nets want to give them the lowest odds possible of getting an extremely high pick.
Other obstacles include Johnson's salary (which is the second highest in the league) and what the Nets would be getting back in a deal. Johnson would likely garner plenty of interest on the trade market, but his salary is extremely high and it would be tough for other teams to make the money work. To add on to that, the fact that the salaries going both ways in the trade need to matchup is an issue for the Nets because they reportedly don't want to have to take on salary for future years, and they likely would have to in order to deal Johnson.
Johnson is not having a very good season, shooting just 39 percent from the field, but he has picked up his play lately as he has shot 50 percent from the field and 53 percent from three in January. The 14-year veteran would likely be very helpful to a contending team due to his experience and big-time shot-making ability, but it seems like he will finish this season out in Brooklyn.
