Joe Joahnson (Photo : Al Bello | Getty Images Sport)
The Washington Wizards are playing this season with one eye on the prize in the offseason-Kevin Durant.
To accomplish this, the Wizards need to have a deep playoff run to convince Durant that they're the real deal. While they have a superstar backcourt duo to rely on, the young turks will miss the veteran leadership and playoff clutch of Paul Pierce, who bolted for the Clippers.
They can find that in Joe Johnson who has been on the block for a year as Chat Sports stated. But his status as en expiring contract finally makes him an asset.
Thus, it makes sense for the Washington Wizards to pursue him as suggested by Sir Charles in Charge as he can take on the role that Pierce played for them last year.
"Johnson has excelled over the years as an off-the-ball player," SCIC contended. "His ability to make smart cuts and knock down 3-pointers at a solid clip mean that he is perfectly suited to play off of the ever-attacking John Wall. In addition, when Wall goes to the bench, Johnson has proven himself to be more than capable of creating for himself and subsequently others off of the dribble."
As of now, the Wizards will rely on Otto Porter as their starting three, and if they want to compete, they might need Johnson's experience. If the Joe Johnson experiment works, the Wizards can re-sign him for far lower rate and still pursue Kevin Durant.
For the Brooklyn Nets, Nene is also an expiring contract so there is low risk in taking him. To make salaries match, other players could be part of the package like Jared Dudley and Garrett Temple. More importantly, the Nets could demand a 1st round draft pick for their top expiring contract.
