Former Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson. (Photo : Getty Images)
All-Star wingman Joe Johnson is reportedly set to sign with the Miami Heat "just hours after agreeing to a buyout and being waived" by former squad Brooklyn Nets, according to the NBA's official website.
The 34-year-old, seven-time All-Star was in the final year of his six-year, $124 million deal that earned him an average of more than $20 million per year. His final year earning of almost $22 million was bought out by Brooklyn.
Johnson will sign up with a Miami team that could be playing without fellow All-Star Chris Bosh for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with another blood clot in the leg. The Heat are currently at the no. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 32-25 record.
Other teams that were said to be pursuing the 15-year veteran are the East champions Cleveland Cavaliers, runners-up Atlanta Hawks, and Western Conference beast Oklahoma City Thunder, but official reports went out that Johnson is favoring Miami as his next destination, which is probably going to be his final team before he retires.
Cavs team leader LeBron James was vocal about his squad's interest in Johnson, recently saying that "he knows we want him", as reported by ESPN.
"If he decides to come (to Cleveland), it'd be great," said the four-time NBA MVP. "But if not, we'll continue to move on with what we have."
Meanwhile, former Atlanta teammate Al Horford only had good things to say about Johnson prior to him choosing Miami.
"What I can say about Joe is he always was a great teammate," said Horford, via the New York Post. "He's a good guy, a good veteran player."
At his advanced age, Johnson is still quite productive. He had averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in almost 34 minutes a night in 57 games with the Nets this season prior to the buyout.
Last season, he played 34.9 minutes per game in 80 games and averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 boards, and 3.7 dimes.
Johnson will help the Heat in a lot of aspects, especially in the no. 2 and 3 positions, whether the starts or come off the bench. He can play together with Dwayne Wade as a small forward or slide to shooting guard as Wade's primary backup.
