ESPN's Sham Charania said this NBA Offseason could be the "craziest" ever. Many people expect superstars to be traded all over the place this summer. Whether that be Kevin Durant, whose time in Phoenix is most definitely ending. Giannis Antetokounmpo, a top-five player in the league, who is all in trade rumors. With the Celtics in cap hell, significant changes are also coming to their team.
With all these crazy rumors of potential All-Star players being dealt, it makes you wonder if the Pelicans can compete with their current roster. The answer is probably not, as they are missing something. They need an unselfish three-point threat, and I think Cam Johnson could be that guy for them.
The deal & fit
With the CJ McCollum era most likely ending this offseason, the Brooklyn Nets could be the ideal team to offload CJ's contract. The Nets have the most cap space of any team this summer, so they would be more than OK with bringing in a veteran like CJ to acquire another lottery pick. This trade allows the Pels to get rid of McCollum's money and acquire a win-now player like Cam Johnson, who will bring elite 3-point shooting to NOLA.
The reasoning behind having to give the seventh overall pick comes from the fact that the Nets have been looking for a second lottery pick and could be comfortable giving up a later first-round pick as well as a player of Johnson's level. This would still allow the Pels to bring in a rookie and maybe even one that fits their timeline better, like Walter Clayton Jr. out of Florida, who can come in and play/start from day 1.
Now, when talking about how Johnson can fit with this team, it's literally seamless as the Pels ranked bottom 5 in every 3-point category this season, well, Johnson was one of the league's best 3-point shooters this past season. Johnson shot 7.2 threes a game and converted them at a 39.0% clip, but the 29-year-old did more than shoot the 3 he averaged a career-best 18.8 points per game.
This past year, he spent most of the season as the go-to guy for the Nets, allowing him to develop his scoring ability and become more than just a corner three-sitter. However, outside of scoring, Johnson also improved as a playmaker, averaging a career-high 3.4 assists per game. Obviously, he isn't a Tyrese Haliburton-level passer, but he has improved his ability to set up the open man and make the right read in the open floor.
Cam Johnson is a perfect fit for this Pels team because he can play shooting guard through power forward, and with this team's injury history, he can slot in as a starter in basically any sort of lineup combination. Well, Johnson isn't Kevin Durant. If the Pels could pull off this deal, his impact would be tremendous, and it would put them in a much better spot to contend in what is going to be once again a stacked Western Conference.