The Denver Nuggets entered the offseason with a lot of questions, one being whether they would keep Cam Johnson or try to trade him, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype helped answer that on Wednesday. He reported that so far, the team has rejected the offers (if you could call them that) they've gotten for the 30-year-old.
Numerous teams have called the Denver Nuggets hoping they’d be willing to dump forward Cam Johnson, who’s owed $23.06 million in the final year of his contract, but those inquiries have been rebuffed, league sources told HoopsHype.Â
There is no way that Denver should be looking to dump Johnson after what it gave up for him an offseason ago. I'm not talking about Michael Porter Jr., but the unprotected pick that the Nuggets gave up. It's way too early to bail on him, even with the financial pressure the team is facing.
Johnson had a relatively solid season in Denver (with its ups and downs), averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 48% from the field and 43% from three. He played only 54 games, due in large part to a bone bruise in his knee that kept him out for over a month, which was, unfortunately, one of many injuries the Nuggets dealt with.
As long as he (and the rest of the team) can stay healthy, Johnson is more than capable of helping Denver make it back to the promised land.
Nuggets shouldn't trade Cam Johnson
Denver wants to avoid the luxury tax bill coming its way, but that shouldn't come at the cost of losing Johnson.
The most obvious reason why is that the Nuggets couldn't get an upgrade in return to justify the trade in the first place, and now, especially with Tim Hardaway Jr.'s shooting going off the bench, it puts even more emphasis on Johnson's shooting.
And speaking of, Denver needs him to be more aggressive in looking for his own shot, which could happen as a result of him being more comfortable and confident entering his second season. The opportunities for him to let it fly will still be aplenty, and it's on him to take advantage.
Josh Kroenke said entering the offseason that everything was on the table for the Nuggets, except trading Jokić. Given that Denver has been mostly quiet so far this summer, you can assume that the team is committed to making another title push, as it should be, making Johnson even more valuable.
He got off to a slow start last season, but that wasn't surprising, given the adjustment period that comes with joining a new team in a different system. It just took Johnson longer than fans would've liked to acclimate, but he got there. He's not going to face that kind of learning curve again once October rolls around, and the Nuggets should be better off because of that.
It wouldn't make enough sense for Denver to lose him now.
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