New Cam Johnson update may contradict how rival officials view Cavs’ interest in him

With all of the winning they’ve done so far this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly don’t have that much room for improvement, though recent trade rumors have connected them to Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson.

The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reported on Friday that rival officials believe the Cavaliers’ trade interest in Johnson is “more serious” than simply them doing their due diligence.

However, a new update may put that belief in question. NBA insider Jake Fischer indicated on Saturday that while the Cavaliers have indeed called about Johnson, their pursuit of the 28-year-old “hasn’t advanced much further to this point,” making Cleveland’s interest seem “preliminary at best.”

“Cam Johnson trade chatter will continue to circulate until Brooklyn actually trades the sharpshooting swingman,” Fischer wrote.

“The Nets, though, have indicated to rival teams that they aren’t as determined to move Johnson as they were to ship out Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Schröder is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer and Finney-Smith can join him if he declines a $15.4 million player option. Johnson, on the other hand, has two seasons left on his four-year, $94 million contract, which descends in salary to $20.5 million for 2025-26.

“Brooklyn has thus maintained a high asking price for Johnson. The Nets have sought as many as two first-round picks packaged with a young player in conversations with certain teams, sources say. And if Brooklyn doesn’t find a deal to its liking, it’s not hard to imagine Johnson remaining a Net despite the constant news media speculation about his future and all the genuine interest from around the league.

“Any interest from Cleveland, as such, seems preliminary at best. The Cavaliers have indeed called on Johnson, sources say, but their approach for the 28-year-old hasn’t advanced much further to this point. Maybe that changes over these next two-plus weeks (after The Athletic’s Joe Vardon first reported the talks.) It just seems unrealistic that Cleveland could meet the Nets’ demands without a real first-rounder available to headline a trade package until 2031.

“If there’s any move anticipated leaguewide from the East-leading Cavs, it would be Cleveland shedding some salary to reduce its luxury-tax bill before an expensive roster hits repeater tax territory over the next few seasons.”

It’s easy to see why the Cavaliers have been connected to Johnson considering all that he brings to the table. For one, he’s an impressive scorer and shooter, as he’s averaging 19.6 points per game this season while shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range.

In addition, he’s taken steps forward as a playmaker so far in the 2024-25 campaign. He’s dishing out a career-high 3.0 assists per game.

If the Cavs were to acquire Johnson and insert him into their starting lineup, he’d get to play alongside Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, giving the team an incredibly talented group that would likely elevate Cleveland’s odds in the title race (depending on what the return in the trade would look like).

However, Fischer seems to hint at the idea that the Cavaliers would have to pay a pretty penny in order to acquire Johnson, and perhaps it would be unwise for Cleveland to shake up a roster that’s playing incredible basketball.

After all, the Cavaliers are 40 games into the season and have lost just six times. Cleveland is fresh off a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, however, as the team lost by 20 points at Paycom Center after star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander torched the Cavaliers for 40 points and eight assists. Cleveland won the first matchup of the season between the two teams earlier in the month.