Sharpshooting trade target the Pistons should avoid

We’ve talked a lot about the Detroit Pistons being set up to make a big trade in the future. 

They have easy-to-move contracts, young players and even a smidge of cap space, so at some point, Detroit can make a move if the right target presents itself. 

We’ve looked at the NBA players most likely to be traded next season and the list is long due to financial challenges and a handful of teams that are pivoting from competing to tanking or vice versa. 

We also ranked which of these trade targets would be best for the Pistons, though that is a dynamic ranking that will change as more players become available. 

One player who will likely be on the trade block at some point this season is Cam Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are clearly rebuilding and now that they have traded Mikal Bridges, Johnson is their top trade asset. 

The asking price has been steep so far according to multiple reports, even though Johnson is coming off a down season. 

The Pistons were rumored to be interested in Johnson during free agency, but luckily avoided him, a tactic they should continue if he hits the trade market. 

The Detroit Pistons should avoid Cam Johnson 

At first glance, Cam Johnson is a player who could fit the Pistons as a big wing who can knock down 3-point shots. They have less of a need now that they have signed Tobias Harris, but there is certainly a world in which the two could play together. 

Also at first glance, Johnson’s contract isn’t that bad, as he will make $22.5, 20 and 22.5 million per season over the next three years, an average price tag for a quality role player. 

Or is it? 

Johnson averaged 13.4 points per game last season in just 58 games (more on that in a second) as a guy who is mostly a catch-and-shoot jump shooter who doesn’t create his own shot.  

If you take a look at similar players, you’d see that Johnson is not such good value after all. He scored the exact same points per game as Corey Kispert on very similar shooting splits, the biggest difference was that Kispert played in 80 games. 

 But Kispert is set to make $5.7 million next season, four times less than Johnson, who is three years older by the way. 

Same with Grayson Allen, who averaged more points on better shooting splits, played 75 games last season and will never be paid as much as Johnson over the course of his four-year extension. 

Saddiq Bey, who is a similar player (less efficient from long range) is making $6.4 million next season. 

There are better players than Johnson out there who make less money and play more but who don’t get the same attention just because they aren’t as tall. Johnson is not good value for money, I’d far rather have Simone Fontecchio, who is not only better but makes three times less than Johnson. 

On top of being overpaid, Johnson is extremely injury prone, the exact characteristic the Pistons need to avoid, as they have been decimated by injuries over the last five seasons. 

Johnson has played just 57, 60, 66, 42 and 58 games in his five-year career, an Iron Man he ain’t. 

The Nets are also reportedly asking for a big return in a trade for Johnson, which is laughable given all that I’ve mentioned above. You can find players in Johnson’s tier for a fraction of the cost, so I don’t know why any team would give up much in a trade for him, especially when you consider his lengthy injury history. 

If he was on your list of potential trade targets for the Pistons, go ahead and scratch him off, as Johnson is overpaid, hurt all the time and just not all that good.