Report: If Brought Out, Joe Johnson Will Sign With Cavs

Even though the trade deadline has passed, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still searching for ways to improve the roster. Is there a mutual interest between Joe Johnson and the Cavs?

There have been conflicting reports regarding the status of Johnson over the last month or so but a new one has emerged today, confirming the interest level between the veteran guard and the Cavaliers.

Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group is indicating that if Johnson were to be brought out by the Nets (which is still likely), the Cavs would be quick to lock up his services.

"Brooklyn Nets veteran swingman Joe Johnson is still very much in play for the defending Eastern Conference champions, league sources informed cleveland.com.Should Johnson, 34, obtain a buyout of his $25 million salary for the season, Cleveland would be his next destination, sources with knowledge of the dialogue insist to cleveland.com."

Haynes also states that Johnson “isn’t overly concerned” about the potential of a buy-out occurring, as his focus is solely on “just playing.” Steve Novak, who will be brought out by the Denver Nuggets, is another name Haynes points to as a “candidate” for the Cavs.

For the Cavaliers to have an opportunity to acquire Johnson, he would need to be waived by March 1, the deadline for waived/brought out players to sign with a playoff team. Of course, the move would be a cost-cutting deal for Brooklyn, while Cleveland would only need to pay Johnson at a minimum salary.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN, another extremely reliable Cavalier source, reported last week, “Cleveland’s belief is Johnson does not want to leave Brooklyn and will seek to stick with the franchise on a multiyear extension as it undergoes its rebuild.”

As McMenamin alluded to in his story, Johnson has multiple ties to this current Cavalier core. He and General Manager David Griffin worked together with the Phoenix Suns and Griffin has attempted to acquire Johnson on numerous occasions throughout his time in Cleveland. Johnson and Cavalier assistant coach Larry Drew spent time with one another in Atlanta with the Hawks and LeBron James and Johnson have developed a relationship through USA Basketball.

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Johnson’s potential fit with this Cleveland team would be questionable at best.

I wrote about six weeks ago how Johnson shouldn’t be a player that the Cavaliers should chase, citing his poor defense and low shooting percentages.

Since that time though, Johnson has found a rhythm, improving his jumpshot but his defense has mostly stayed the same, which isn’t a good thing.

Overall, Johnson wouldn’t be the worse insurance policy out there. When the Cavaliers are fully healthy though, it would be hard to see where Johnson’s minutes will come from.