Report: Cavs being linked to Cameron Johnson

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly would be interested in Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson if he becomes available on the trade market.

Johnson is under contract for several more seasons after he signed a four-year deal with the Nets ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Brooklyn made a massive move on Tuesday night, as it reportedly agreed to trade rising star Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for several draft picks and veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

Trading Bridges could signal that the Nets are willing to move more pieces to accumulate assets for the future to rebuild their team. Brooklyn has taken a major step back in the Eastern Conference since breaking up the core of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that made the second round of the playoffs in the 2020-21 season.

Johnson is a proven 3-point shooter, something that would help the Cavs immensely as they try to build out their roster around Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. While it’s possible the Cavs could move on from one of those players this offseason, they are all currently under contract for the 2024-25 campaign.

During the 2023-24 season, Johnson shot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc (just below his career average of 39.2 percent) and averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Since wing Isaac Okoro is a restricted free agent for the Cavs this offseason, there certainly could be a hole in the rotation to fill with a player like Johnson.

Last offseason, the Cavs attempted to upgrade their 3-point shooting by signing forward Georges Niang and orchestrating a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat for sharpshooter Max Strus.

Cleveland did end up making a deeper playoff run than it did in the 2022-23 season, as it made the second round against the Boston Celtics in the 2023-24 season. However, injuries to Mitchell and Allen ultimately were too much for the Cavs to overcome, as they lost in five games to the eventual NBA champions.

Johnson could be a versatile piece to help the Cavs make a deep run in the Eastern Conference. He has played off the bench and in the starting lineup in his career and has averaged at least 12.5 points per game in each of the last three seasons.