Cam Johnson sets record on whether he asked for Nets trade

Four years removed from his NBA Finals appearance with the Phoenix Suns, Cam Johnson is back in the NBA spotlight. After spending last season as the face of a tank Brooklyn Netsoff-season trade on Denver Nuggets sent Johnson from the NBA basement to the forefront of the championship race.

While a return to relevance was a welcome sight for the veteran, he said he never asked The Nets traded him during last year’s tanking season.

“That’s not my MO. I’m not a ‘grass is greener’ person,” Johnson told Andscape Marc J. Spears. “I’m more of a ‘where are you’ person. When I got traded to Brooklyn, we were a playoff team. I hated the idea of ​​trying to get out after being on the team and then getting traded and going south. So I was there to stick with it in terms of trying to build a culture and an identity and a program. And I was just kind of willing to change day to day, otherwise I was willing to change day to day. no, I never asked.”

After joining the Nets along with Mikal Bridges midway through the 2022-23 campaign, Johnson signed a four-year contract worth $94.5 million during the 2023 offseason. The team hoped he and Bridges could be the building blocks of the next era.

Cam Johnson is starting a new chapter with the Nuggets after the Nets

However, Brooklyn struggled the following season, firing head coach Jacques Vaughn midway through the year. After a disappointing campaign, the Knicks made a best man bid for Michael Bridges. The Nets accepted, simultaneously trading their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from the Houston Rockets and preparing to move on next season.

Despite the Nets’ plans, Johnson was not traded during the 2024 offseason. After Brooklyn injured veterans Dennis Schroeder and Dorian Finney-Smith early in the season, Johnson has been at the center of trade speculation until the deadline. However, the team held on to the sharp-shooting forward, who was in the midst of a career-best season.

While out of place as a veteran on a rebuilding team, Johnson emerged as the most respected voice in Brooklyn’s locker room. General Manager Sean Marks is enthusiastic about the veteran leadership ability to enter the off season.

“There’s been no shortage of teams that have called him up. … But I can’t think of a road where Cam doesn’t fit in. … He’s a high-character guy that you’re going to see consistency from every day. We’re in no rush to move on from players like that,” Marks said. “I think the next step is for Cam to take on more of a leadership role. We just talked to him about that this morning. He’s got a big voice, he’s very respected by his teammates. They love him, and he’s about the right things. If you want to look, what is the network? That’s what you want.”

Asked Sean Marks about Cam Johnson’s leadership role and potential trades:

“There’s been no shortage of teams calling him up… But I can’t think of a path where Cam doesn’t fit in… He’s a high-character guy that you’re going to see consistency from every day. We’re in no rush to… pic.twitter.com/CEII6F0oEE

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) April 14, 2025

Despite Marks’ comments, the Nets finally cashed in on Johnson this summer, trading him to the Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected first-round pick in 2032. The deal cemented Brooklyn’s direction for the season while allowing Johnson to play a key role for a Denver team looking to win its second championship.

Johnson struggled through Denver’s first 11 games, averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 37.2 percent shooting from the field and 21.2 percent from three. However, he turned in his best performances of the season during his last two appearances.

The 29-year-old scored 19 points while knocking down five 3-pointers during the Nuggets’ loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. He scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five assists in Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.