New York Notes: Johnson, Evbuomwan, KAT, Knicks
Nets wing Keon Johnson is getting some extra run as a result of injuries up and down the roster, giving him an opportunity to showcase a broader range of skills, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post.
With Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson and Ben Simmons all unavailable in a 123-94 blowout loss to the Sixers on Saturday, Johnson helped guide the club’s offense. The guard scored 15 points while grabbing eight rebounds and handing out eight assists.
“I’m always trying to prove myself and just show what I can bring to the league and to the table for my team,” Johnson said Saturday. “I feel like each night I get more and more comfortable, but my role doesn’t change. It doesn’t waiver. I know that I come in, play defense, play as hard as I can, and everything goes on [from there]. So, that’s what I’m focusing on, night in and night out.”
Johnson has thrived while playing in the stead of Thomas, who has missed all but two games since November 25 due to hamstring issues. Since that date, Johnson has averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 19 games (15 starts) for Brooklyn.
There’s more out of New York:
- The aforementioned health issues compelled the Nets to press newly signed two-way player Tosan Evbuomwan into service for the first time all year against Philadelphia on Saturday, Reilly notes in another piece. Brooklyn brought in Evbuomwan to help after he had some impressive games for the club’s NBAGL squad, the Long Island Nets. “This is what I work for, these types of opportunities,” Evbuomwan said. “Again, really blessed to be back here. So, whatever, everything that comes with it, I’m ready to take it in stride and kind of attack it. Collectively, I just got here but the team spirit is high.” After going undrafted out of Princeton in 2023, Evbuomwan wound up playing 17 games last season for the Grizzlies and Pistons. Through two games with Brooklyn, the 6’8″ forward is averaging 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in 22.5 minutes per contest.
- Knicks All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns sat out the club’s Monday tilt against the Magic with a right knee tendinopathy. The 103-94 defeat to Orlando represented New York’s third consecutive loss following a nine-game win streak, with Jericho Sims replacing Towns, whose versatility as a scorer was badly missed, notes Peter Botte of The New York Post. “He obviously brings a lot to the game, but it’s unfair to the rest of the guys on the team, who put in all the work, to say without him we weren’t able to do a lot,” All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson said of playing without Towns. “We just need to come ready to play with energy, regardless of what happens.” In his 34 healthy games this year, the seven-footer out of Kentucky is averaging 25.3 points on .550/.440/.828 shooting splits. He’s also pulling down 14.0 rebounds and dishing out 3.4 assists per night.
- The Knicks’ outlook this year is looking particularly sunny. Accordingly, James L. Edwards of The Athletic makes five New York-related predictions for the forthcoming calendar year. Edwards predicts a timeline for the Knicks’ next significant trade, the team’s postseason upside, and more.
Trade Rumors: Collins, Hachimura, Knecht, Johnson, Kings, Nets
Big man John Collins is having a strong season for the Jazz, averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, with career highs in assists (2.5) and steals (1.1) per game, as well as three-point percentage (43.8%).
While Collins’ contract – which includes a $26.58MM salary this season and a 2025/26 player option worth the same amount, will limit his value on the trade market, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears the 27-year-old has drawing interest from several teams.
However, the Suns aren’t one of those clubs — there have been no talks between Phoenix and Utah about Collins, Gambadoro reports. That’s not a surprise, given Phoenix’s apron-related constraints.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Rival executives have told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report that the Lakers have shown no interest thus far in discussing deals that would involve forwards Rui Hachimura and/or Dalton Knecht. That lines up with reporting from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who suggested last month that the team viewed Knecht as a long-term keeper and wouldn’t be eager to part with Hachimura.
- Within the last few weeks, the Lakers, Grizzlies, Kings, Thunder, and Pacers are among the teams that have been mentioned as potential suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson. According to Net Income and Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily, one well-placed source said that much of what’s been written about Johnson recently is “completely incorrect.” However, that source didn’t offer any further specifics, per NetsDaily’s duo, who note that there’s plenty of time for the situation to develop before the February 6 trade deadline. NetsDaily also hears from sources that Sacramento has been willing to offer at least one first-round pick for Johnson, but Brooklyn is seeking a more significant return.
- In a separate story, NetsDaily stresses that the Nets continue to focus on maximizing their cap room for 2025 and aren’t interested in taking on multiyear money in trades. That means, for instance, if the Kings wanted to make a Johnson trade that included Kevin Huerter (who has an $18MM guaranteed salary for 2025/26), it would likely require a third team.
- In a pair of ESPN articles for subscribers, Brian Windhorst examines the biggest roster holes for 15 potential contenders and explores the odds of each of those clubs making a significant trade, while Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton identify one trade candidate to watch from all 30 NBA teams.
Stein’s Latest: Johnson, Vucevic, Poeltl, Brown, Olynyk, Ball
The Nets have already dealt Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. Could forward Cameron Johnson be next?
Citing league sources, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article that the Pacers are a team to watch in terms of Johnson’s next destination. Brooklyn is looking to clear as much salary as possible for the offseason and Johnson is in the second year of a four-year, $94.5MM contract.
Johnson, who is averaging career highs in points (19.5) and assists (3.0) per game, could fortify the Pacers at the wing position. The Grizzlies have also been mentioned as a likely Johnson suitor, though Stein notes that they might not be inclined to deal with the Nets. Memphis had extensive talks with the Nets regarding Finney-Smith before he was dealt to the Lakers and there were said to be “hard feelings” between the two teams about how those discussions played out.
The Kings have held trade talks with the Nets regarding Johnson, but aren’t willing to part with rookie guard Devin Carter, who made his NBA debut on Friday after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Here’s more from Stein:
- The Raptors have turned aside inquiries regarding center Jakob Poeltl, Stein reports. The big man is averaging career-bests in both scoring (15.4 PPG) and rebounding (10.7 RPG) and is signed through at least 2026, with a player option for ’26/27. Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk are considered the veterans that Toronto is most open to trading prior to the February deadline.
- While it’ll be difficult to move Zach LaVine‘s contract, the Bulls are expected to deal center Nikola Vucevic and possibly Lonzo Ball prior to the deadline, says Stein. Vucevic is averaging 2o.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, while Ball is on an expiring contract and has made a respectable comeback from his long-term knee issues. As Stein notes, the Bulls have incentive to tank. If they finish with the league’s sixth-worst record or below, it’ll guarantee that they’ll hold onto their pick in this year’s June draft. Chicago owes a top-10 protected pick to San Antonio.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Towns, Knicks, Martin
Celtics All-Star wing Jaylen Brown has seen his injury status upgraded ahead of Boston’s Sunday tilt against Oklahoma City. According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the 6’6″ forward will play his first game of 2025 after having been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since New Year’s Eve.
The 28-year-old has been in fine form when he has played for the 26-9 Celtics. Brown is averaging 24.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per night through 28 healthy games, with shooting splits of .461/.332/.734. The reigning Finals MVP seems well on his way to earning the fourth All-Star berth of his career and should be in the mix for his second All-NBA spot.
As Noa Dalzell of CLNS Sports tweets, Brown’s availability marks the first time in 17 games that Boston will be fielding a fully healthy rotation.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns seems to have dodged a major injury after exiting an eventual 139-126 Saturday loss to the Bulls late, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns departed the game with just over 90 seconds remaining after being on the receiving end of a hard Nikola Vucevic foul while attempting a layup. He was able to walk under his own power, albeit with a noticeable limp. New York ultimately decided that additional testing was unnecessary. “I got hit,” Towns said. “I was going to go for a dunk. Saw [Coby White] was probably not going to give it to me, and then I switched hands, tried to do my best Michael Jordan impression… It hurt. Really all I saw was an and-one that was too late to help us win. Honest to God, I didn’t even know I made it.”
- Despite leading Chicago 72-63 at the break, the Knicks seemed to lose their verve in the second half, Bondy writes in another story for the New York Post. New York was outscored 41-17 in the third quarter and essentially never recovered. In fairness, the Knicks were playing the second game of a back-to-back set, having also lost to the West-leading Thunder on Friday. “Back-to-backs are part of the league,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, conceding that his team losing steam could be the result of a Chicago energy advantage. “Couple that with [the Bulls] were off for three days. I knew they were going to be high energy. And I thought offensively we scored plenty. Defensively, we have to do better.
- First-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez heaped high praise on young two-way player Tyrese Martin on Saturday, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. With forward Cameron Johnson and guards Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons injured, Brooklyn had to lean on its depth for help against the Sixers in a blowout loss Saturday. Martin chipped in 16 points, five boards and three dimes. “Tyrese has been great the whole year,” Fernandez said. “He’s been consistent. Consistent in the rotation, for the most part, and he’s taking advantage of his opportunities. It starts, not just right now, it starts in the summer. He was fighting for a two-way spot. He did all the right things every single day… And now he’s getting NBA minutes and doing a great job.”
Nets Notes: Thomas, Russell, Williams, December Trades
The Nets aren’t sure what caused Cam Thomas‘ latest hamstring strain, coach Jordi Fernandez told reporters, including Bridget Reilly of The New York Post, before tonight’s game. Earlier today, the team announced that Thomas won’t be reevaluated until after the upcoming West Coast trip, which means he’ll be out of action for at least nine games.
Thomas has only played twice since returning from his first hamstring injury, scoring 25 points in 25 minutes Monday at Orlando and 24 points in 22 minutes Thursday at Milwaukee. It’s believed that the hamstring issue reemerged sometime during that second game.
“I think it was discomfort,” Fernandez said. “Because at some point, I can see the difference between the first half and second half, energy-wise and efficiency. But I can also think, ‘Well, you haven’t played in a while, so, you know, you’re not as fresh,’ so I don’t know. I have no idea, but, you know, he did a good job getting back and being ready to play. He started great, the two games. Orlando, and being able to get back, both games were very efficient in the first stint he played. And now this injury is — I feel for him because obviously we want CT with us, and he was doing a great job scoring efficiently. And you know, day-to-day, we want to have him around, and we will have him around, it’s just not on the court. But we know he’ll be back soon.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets’ injury woes got worse in Saturday’s game against Philadelphia as D’Angelo Russell didn’t return after halftime due to a right shin contusion, Reilly states in a separate story. Russell was playing for just the third time since being acquired from the Lakers last weekend. Fernandez pulled his starters midway through the third quarter of the blowout loss, and Tosan Evbuomwan made his Nets debut after signing a two-way contract on Wednesday.
- The team got a lift this week with the return of Ziaire Williams, who missed nearly a month with a knee injury, Reilly adds in another piece. The 23-year-old forward, who was added in a trade with Memphis over the summer, could see increased playing time while Cameron Johnson is sidelined with a sprained right ankle. “He made winning plays all over,” Fernandez said after Williams helped to seal a victory over the Bucks. “His energy was contagious. His deflections. Obviously, he made a couple of big shots, 2-for-4 from three, and the six rebounds, being all over the place. He was amazing. A lot of times, it’s just thinking, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes for our team to win,’ and he did, and he was a big part of the win.”
- In his latest Substack column, Jake Fischer examines whether the Nets got sufficient value by trading Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith in December rather than waiting until closer to the deadline.
Nets’ Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson To Miss Time With Injuries
Nets guard Cam Thomas, who missed over a month in November and December due to a left hamstring strain, sustained a new strain in the same hamstring during the team’s game on Thursday vs. Milwaukee, the Nets announced today (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
According to the club, Thomas will be reevaluated following Brooklyn’s upcoming West Coast road trip. That trip begins next Friday in Denver and runs through January 19 in Oklahoma City. So even if Thomas is ready to make his return after that trip – which is hardly a lock – he’d miss the Nets’ next nine games.
It’s a discouraging setback for a player who is looking to build his case for a significant payday as a restricted free agent next summer after not agreeing to terms on a rookie scale extension with the Nets prior to the 2024/25 season. Thomas has been Brooklyn’s leading scorer when healthy, averaging 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 32.3 minutes per game across 19 outings (17 starts), with a shooting line of .448/.375/.876.
In addition to not having their top scorer available, the Nets will be missing their second-leading scorer for the next few games as well. According to the club, forward Cameron Johnson is expected to be out for at least the next three contests due to the right ankle sprain he sustained on Thursday against the Bucks.
Brooklyn’s next three games are at home, vs. the Sixers on Saturday, the Pacers on Monday, and the Pistons on Wednesday. According to today’s announcement, Johnson will be reevaluated before the team heads out West next week for its six-game trip.
Johnson is the Nets’ top trade candidate, so making sure he’s fully healthy in advance of this season’s February 6 deadline will be a priority for the team.
In addition to their updates on the two Cams, the Nets stated that Trendon Watford, who is on the shelf with a left hamstring strain, has resumed individual on-court workouts and will be reevaluated in one week. Watford hasn’t played since December 16.
Warriors Unlikely To Pursue Jimmy Butler Before Deadline
Although the Warriors would love to find a second star to pair with Stephen Curry, that player is unlikely to be Jimmy Butler, team and league sources tell Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The Warriors were previously identified as a team high on Butler’s list of preferred destinations, though ESPN recently reported that the 35-year-old is open to joining any team after requesting a trade from the Heat. Miami subsequently suspended Butler for seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Miami prefers to trade Butler “as soon as possible,” and his time with the Heat has almost certainly come to an end.
However, Golden State is not currently viewed as a viable landing spot for the five-time All-Defensive forward, and there have been “no substantive talks or traction” on a possible trade between the Warriors and Heat, a source close to Butler tells The Athletic.
As The Athletic’s authors explain, there are several complicating factors in a potential deal. For starters, Butler’s rift with the Heat centered on his desire to receive a maximum-salary extension, which Miami showed no interest in offering. A Butler extension is also unappealing to the Warriors, according to The Athletic.
Butler’s age, injury history, and another messy impending divorce with his current club are more reasons a trade is unlikely. But his contract makes a deal an “untenable option,” per The Athletic’s trio.
To match Butler’s incoming $48.8MM cap hit, Golden State would have to combine multiple salaries, starting with either Draymond Green ($24.1MM) or Andrew Wiggins ($26.3MM), with the latter considered more likely. However, Wiggins has had a bounce-back season and is popular within the organization. The Warriors prefer to keep him alongside Curry and Green.
Jonathan Kuminga has been floated as a possible candidate to be moved alongside Wiggins for Butler. While the impending restricted free agent isn’t untouchable in trade talks ahead of the February 6 deadline, the Warriors aren’t interested in moving their two best wings for Butler, according to The Athletic.
Here are a few more Warriors rumors from Slater, Thompson and Amick:
- A deal for a maximum-salary player like Butler seems unlikely, but the Warriors have expressed interest in players on mid-sized contracts. They already pulled off a trade for such a player in Dennis Schröder, whose $13MM expiring contract could be aggregated in another deal starting on Feb. 5.
- Cameron Johnson would seem to be a good fit for Golden State, but the Nets have a high asking price for the sharpshooting forward. The Kings and Thunder are believed to be showing more interest in Johnson than the Warriors at the moment, per The Athletic.
- Team and league sources tell The Athletic that Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is viewed as an attractive trade option due to his ability to space the floor and the fact that he likely won’t cost as much to acquire. As the authors note, Golden State has multiple ways to match Vucevic’s $20MM cap hit without exceeding the first tax apron, which is the team’s hard cap. One example provided is Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters and unknown draft capital.
Nets’ Maxwell Lewis Diagnosed With Fractured Tibia
Second-year forward Maxwell Lewis has been diagnosed with a fractured left tibia, the Nets announced today (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).
According to the team, Lewis’ status will be updated again in four weeks, so he’ll be out for at least the rest of January and likely beyond that. However, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) that the injury isn’t expected to be season-ending.
Lewis suffered the injury in Wednesday’s game at Toronto when he got tangled up with Raptors center Jakob Poeltl as he backpedaled toward his basket after making a three-pointer (Twitter video link). It occurred in his first game as a Net after being sent to Brooklyn as part of the Dorian Finney-Smith trade over the weekend.
It’s a disappointing turn of events for a player who seemed likely to play a little more for a rebuilding Nets squad after not seeing much action for the Lakers since the start of last season.
The No. 40 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Lewis appeared in 41 games for the Lakers across a season-and-a-half, scoring 15 points on 6-of-27 shooting in 132 total minutes during his time in Los Angeles. He logged just 1:05 with the Nets before going down with his leg injury.
Trade Rumors: Butler, C. Johnson, Nets, Grizzlies, Pelicans
The rest of the NBA is watching the standoff between the Heat and Jimmy Butler with “their popcorn out,” according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link), who notes that team president Pat Riley doesn’t make a habit of deferring to his star players, operating with a “bluntness and strength” that’s somewhat atypical of team executives in this era.
“You cannot intimidate Pat Riley,” one prominent player agent said to ESPN.
As Windhorst details, Riley let longtime franchise star Dwyane Wade walk over a contract dispute in free agency in 2016 and reportedly shut down LeBron James when the star forward hinted he wanted head coach Erik Spoelstra replaced back in 2010. If the longtime Heat president approaches the Butler situation with a similar mindset, he’s not likely to grant the 35-year-old’s trade request if he doesn’t like what Miami is getting in return.
“The Heat make mistakes and sometimes have issues with players just like everyone else,” one general manager told Windhorst. “But they do not get pushed around.”
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN points out within the same story, under the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s not necessarily the worst outcome to have a maximum-salary free agent walk away for nothing. The Clippers took that route with Paul George this past offseason, opting for additional cap flexibility rather than taking back contracts that they didn’t want and would’ve had trouble moving. If the trade offers for Butler are underwhelming, the Heat may decide that’s the best path for them too.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- While Cameron Johnson is among the most coveted trade targets in the NBA, talks involving the Nets forward are expected to be more complex than the ones for Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Windhorst, so they’ll take more time. There will be more suitors in play for Johnson, and Brooklyn has made it clear the price will be higher than it was for its other veterans. As Windhorst writes, the Nets have expressed a belief that Johnson could be a long-term keeper, since he’d fit well alongside just about any impact player they’re able to land in the coming years. Still, at least one rival executive believes that stance may just be a negotiating tactic. “That’s all good to say, but they’ll trade him if they get what they want,” the exec said. “They like him as a player and a person and all that, but they built his contract specifically to be able to trade him by next summer.”
- The bidding war between Memphis and the Lakers for Finney-Smith resulted in “hard feelings emanating” from the Grizzlies and the Nets for the way their talks played out, according to Windhorst. That doesn’t mean the two sides can’t come together for another deal – Memphis is reportedly among Johnson’s possible suitors – but it’s something worth keeping in mind ahead of February 6.
- Bontemps asked several people around the NBA how many players earning more than Johnson’s $22.5MM will be traded at this season’s deadline. “Not many,” one said. Another replied, “Maybe two?” The thinking is that CBA-related restrictions will complicate moves involving players with significant cap hits.
- William Guillory of The Athletic takes a closer look at the Pelicans‘ trade options, identifying Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy, and Yves Missi as the only players on the roster who are essentially untouchable this season. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Jordan Hawkins, and Jose Alvarado aren’t technically in that group, but are also unlikely trade candidates, in Guillory’s view.
Nets Notes: Johnson, Marks, Russell, Evbuomwan
X-rays were negative for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, who turned his ankle late in Thursday’s win at Milwaukee, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The injury occurred when Johnson and Ziaire Williams both chased a rebound after a missed three-point attempt. Johnson appeared to land on Williams’ foot, causing the ball to go out of bounds.
Johnson hopped off the floor and had imaging done in the locker room after the game. Although he avoided a major injury, Lewis reports that Johnson was on crutches in the locker room and looks like he may be sidelined for a while.
“All I know is it was super loud, trying to get the ball, and Cam was behind me,” Williams said. “Yeah, I don’t know (what happened). I have to look back. But yeah, man, I kind of ruined the night. I hope it’s nothing serious. I feel really bad right now, I can’t lie to you, man. Yeah, it sucks when you get hurt in a fashion like that.”
Johnson led the team with 26 points while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. He’s in the midst of the best season of his career, and he’s Brooklyn’s top remaining trade asset after dealing away Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith.
“Yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunate,” D’Angelo Russell said. “He’s a strong guy, though. I know he’ll be back soon, and he’ll be back stronger. I’m not worried about him. He’ll be all right.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- In an interview with Lewis, general manager Sean Marks says flexibility is the priority as he works to rebuild the team’s roster. The Nets have $70MM in projected cap space for this summer, along with more future draft picks than any other team. Marks eventually hopes to use those assets to bring star players to Brooklyn. “You have to be poised and position yourself to be able to have that opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to give ourselves the best chance to do that. Now, on whom and when, that’s TBD. But when we took over [in 2016], it was three or four seasons before we were able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve all of a sudden got a team that’s now able to contend. It’s a playoff team.’ And next year, you’re attracting a different caliber player … or players. So we know we’ve done it. We did it before. Now to be able to do it in this new CBA and hopefully reach that ultimate goal, we fell short. We didn’t come close. So the goal now is to be able to do it again, build it up and try and have another hit at it.”
- Despite rumors of acrimony when Russell was traded away in 2019, Marks was happy to reacquire him in the Finney-Smith deal, Lewis tweets. “D-Lo the player, we’re accustomed to him, we’re used to him, we’ve been around him,” Marks said. “He’s been in our family before. There’s a level of continuity just from familiarity with the person. So bringing him back into this group, it’ll be exciting.”
- The new two-way contract for Tosan Evbuomwan will cover two seasons, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).