NBA Trade Rumors: Nets target injured OKC Thunder rookie in potential swap for highly coveted $94,500,000 forward
Since their "Big Three" era ended, the Brooklyn Nets have been searching for ways to bolster their roster for the future. With the 2025 trade deadline approaching, the team has been linked to a sidelined rookie with significant potential.
According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Nets are exploring a trade involving wing Cam Johnson — currently on a four-year, $94.5 million contract, per Spotrac — in exchange for injured guard Nikola Topic, picked 12th by the OKC Thunder in last year’s NBA draft.
"The Nets are widely believed to covet Nikola Topić in trade talks with the Thunder on Cam Johnson," Sidery tweeted on Tuesday. "Topić aims to be fully healthy next season after tearing his ACL before the 2024 NBA Draft."
Topic, who stands 6-foot-6, would bring size, youth and scoring to a Nets backcourt led by Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell. Before the 2024 NBA Draft, NBA.com described him as "a great distributor who looks like a veteran with the ball in his hands."
The 19-year-old Serbian guard suffered a partial ACL tear about a month before last year’s draft. Topic’s injury status could give the Nets leverage to ask for additional assets from Thunder general manager Sam Presti in the trade.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-8 Johnson would add firepower to the Thunder’s perimeter offense. Averaging 19.5 points per game, the six-year veteran is having the best scoring season of his career.
Integrating him into a lineup that already includes rising stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren could create a formidable force in the playoffs.
Additionally, Johnson’s postseason experience would be valuable for OKC’s relatively young roster. He played a key role during the Phoenix Suns’ run to the 2021 NBA Finals, where he showcased his shooting ability.
The trade wouldn’t work as a simple player-for-player exchange. The Thunder could bundle Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams with Topic to make the deal viable, potentially sweetening it further with draft picks
Insider: Nets consider Giannis Antetokounmpo a dream target
Beyond trade talks involving rookies and veterans, Nets GM Sean Marks is reportedly aiming to acquire a franchise-altering player in the future. According to an NBA insider, one superstar stands out on Marks’ radar.
Last week, Marc Stein tweeted that the Nets have their sights set on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"The scenario repeatedly cited in conversation with rival teams always winds up in the same place: Nets have long been described and continue to be painted as a team determined to be in position to trade for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo someday," Stein tweeted.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks famously ended the Nets’ championship aspirations during the “Big Three” era, winning a Game 7 thriller in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Antetokounmpo went on to claim his first NBA title and Finals MVP honors later that year.