NBA Rumors: Lakers eyeing to land Nets forward alongside LeBron James amid Brooklyn's roster shake-up
Following this year's NBA draft, the LA Lakers are reportedly eyeing to capitalize on the Brooklyn Nets' expected fire sale. Per Action Network's Matt Moore, they are targeting sharpshooting forward Cameron Johnson via trade.
On Tuesday, Brooklyn shipped star wing Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in a blockbuster deal, signaling its pivot toward a rebuild. A day later, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the Nets could trade away several more key veteran players.
"Other Nets veterans, including Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, are all potential trade candidates to monitor," Scotto Wrote.
According to Moore's Thursday report, LA is one of Johnson's potential suitors.
"The Lakers are among the teams expected to be interested in Johnson from Brooklyn," Moore wrote.
Johnson, a career 39.2% 3-point shooter, has struggled to stay healthy, playing 60 or fewer games in four of five seasons. Nonetheless, at 6-foot-8 with his outside shooting ability, he should remain a coveted asset among contenders.
Meanwhile, Johnson is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season after signing a four-year, $94.5 million deal last offseason. So, whichever team potentially acquires him will hold his rights for at least three seasons.
LA was one of the NBA's lowest-volume 3-point shooting teams this past season, ranking 24th in 3s per game (11.8). The franchise already made one move to address that issue, drafting Tennessee marksman wing Dalton Knecht with its No. 17 pick in Wednesday's draft.
However, Johnson would likely be another welcome addition alongside the Lakers' superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
This past season, Johnson averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.4 3-pointers per game, shooting 44.6% and 39.1% from deep.
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Lakers reportedly unlikely to land third star amid interest in Cameron Johnson
In his report on LA's interest in Cameron Johnson, Matt Moore noted that the fifth-year forward is considered one of the organization's realistic offseason targets.
The Lakers have long been rumored to covet adding a third star. However, according to Moore, that possibility is growing increasingly unlikely.
“That third star they talked about pursuing with the three first-round picks at their disposal no longer seems as likely with [Donovan] Mitchell back with the [Cleveland Cavaliers] and Jimmy Butler likely to remain in Miami," Moore wrote. "Then again, never say never when it comes to stars wanting to play for the Purple and Gold."
Thus it appears LA fans should brace themselves for a relatively quiet offseason, outside of potentially landing high-end role players.
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