4. Joe Johnson
Let’s start off by saying that there is absolutely no chance in hell that Joe Johnson is going to get paid the same amount of money that he is on his current deal, even with the salary cap hike. That goes for the Lakers and for every other team in the league; he probably wasn’t worth the money he’s currently being paid when he signed the contract and he certainly isn’t worth it at 34 years old.
Even if he’s not going to be demanding a max deal or a contract even really near that level, though, Johnson’s value in terms of name recognition is undeniable. Subsequently, there has to be a fear that the Lakers might try and pursue him to address their needs on the wing because adding him to the roster would be a move that might make fans say, “Hey, I remember Joe Johnson and he used to be pretty good.”
While that could potentially be what the front office wants, the operative phrase in that hypothetical fan-thought is “used to be pretty good.” Because now, Johnson is not good at all. Age has more than caught up to Johnson and it’s evident in terms of his ability to stay healthy and even his ability to produce when healthy. Despite the fact that the Brooklyn Nets could desperately use a strong influx of production in their offense this season, Johnson can’t even provide that as he’s averaging a meager 11.2 points on 37.7 percent shooting.
Johnson isn’t going to demand the huge contract that he’s currently playing on, but that perceived value shouldn’t persuade the Lakers in any way. The veteran should be labeled a stay-away and nothing more in 2016 free agency.
Next: No. 3 Nene