SUNDAY, 7:55pm: The affiliate of the Spurs has claimed Johnson off D-League waivers, a source tells Reichert (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 5:00pm: Nuggets camp cut Nick Johnson has signed with the NBA D-League, Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor reports (Twitter ink). Johnson will be subject to the league’s waiver process to determine which franchise he is assigned to. NBA teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts on January 5th, and this move by Johnson should make him a more attractive option for teams seeking backcourt help, though that is merely my speculation. Johnson is still collecting a NBA paycheck thanks to his contract with the Nuggets being fully guaranteed for this season and the next. He is making $845,059 for 2015/16 and is owed $980,431 for the 2016/17 campaign by Denver.
The combo guard is no stranger to the D-League having made 20 appearances in 2014/15 for Rio Grande Valley, the Rockets’ affiliate. He averaged a solid 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 33.9 minutes per contest for the Vipers. His shooting numbers were .428/.283/.789.
Johnson, 22, had been acquired by Denver from Houston as part of the Ty Lawson trade. The 2014 42nd overall pick appeared in 28 NBA games last season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game, and he owned a slash line of .347/.238/.680.
Johnson needs to improve as a shooter, but otherwise he showed some promise in Houston last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Spurs develop him into a decent player.
I do really think this guy has what the spurs look for in a backup pointguard hold on before you say anything i feel like patty mills is a Great scorer but he gets expose in the defensive side ive seen nick johnson play in arizona and a little in the d-league he is a very underated defender that would sacrafice his body just to become a better ready nba player now he needs to work on his shooting but that will be develop once he learns the spurs system i can see him becoming the next cory Joseph i know we got McCollum But i feel he should stay in the d-league and the spurs should sign nick johnson to a 10 day contract..but thats just me..