Trade rumors surrounding a potential Cam Johnson move to the Golden State Warriors have been prominent for over a year, but that possibility has now flown out the window after the Denver Nuggets swooped on the Brooklyn sharpshooter in a blockbuster trade on Monday.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported the deal an hour into the opening of free agency, with the Nuggets landing Johnson for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected first-round pick in 2032.
The Nuggets have swapped sharpshooters in a major trade on Monday
It felt inevitable that Johnson's time with the Nets was going to come to an end eventually, having constantly been in trade rumors ever since the franchise dealt Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last offseason.
Johnson's shooting and 6'8" size was always going to be of value across the league, but particularly for a team like the Warriors who need a proven perimeter front court threat alongside Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Johnson had a career year in Brooklyn this past season, averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 57 games while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 39% from 3-point range on over seven attempts per game.
Yet while Johnson had been linked to the Warriors for a long time, they've been caught sleeping as the Nuggets have made a string of incredibly savvy moves to open free agency. Not only has the Western Conference rival made the move on Johnson, but they've also acquired their former guard Bruce Brown on a veteran minimum contract.
Brown was a huge piece of Denver's 2023 NBA championship, paylaying that into a two-year, $45 million contract with the Indiana Pacers that offseason. He was then traded to the Toronto Raptors in the Pascal Siakam trade in January 2024, before finding himself moved again to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Brandon Ingram trade.
While it's been a tough couple of years for Brown who appeared in just 18 games last season, his acquisition on a minimum contract is an incredibly valuable move for the Nuggets who are looking to re-tool around 3x MVP Nikola Jokic and star guard Jamal Murray.
The Warriors have missed out on Johnson, Brown and a host of players that have already been on the move since free agency started, with the franchise notably losing 3x NBA champion Kevon Looney to the New Orleans Pelicans after a decade in the Bay.
Focus is now on the future of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, while Warrior fans are also monitoring Al Horford as a prominent target given the franchise's desire for a veteran stretch big.