So long, Joe
Nets buy out veteran guard
The Nets waived Joe Johnson on Thursday, giving the veteran a chance to go to a contender and giving their own youth movement a kickstart.
“The Nets want to thank Joe for his many contributions to the team and the organization,” new general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Joe has been a quality professional since joining the Nets four years ago, was a valued member of three playoff teams, and provided many thrilling moments for his teammates and Nets’ fans. We wish him much success in the future.’’
The Nets thanked Johnson by letting him go, waiving him and buying him out. They will save $3 million by doing so. The 34yearold veteran has been in the playoffs for eight straight seasons, and since Johnson was bought out before March 1, he is eligible for a postseason roster and has a chance to make it nine playoff appearances in a row.
Johnson posted on Twitter: “Thank you to all of the Brooklyn and New York Fans for your support during my time with the @BrooklynNets. I want to thank the Nets organization and I wish nothing but the best to the team. I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and am excited to bring my talents to a new team.”
Sources told The Post the Cavaliers, Celtics, Heat and Hawks have expressed an interest in Johnson, with ESPN reporting the Rockets, Raptors and Thunder also are pursuing him.
Johnson struggled under fired coach Lionel Hollins but rebounded under interim coach Tony Brown. After averaging just 10.5 points on 35 percent shooting — and 30.2 percent from 3point range — through New Year’s Eve, Johnson has lifted that to 13.4 ppg on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 46.0 percent from deep in 25 games since.
Johnson’s minutes at small forward can now be given to Bojan Bogdanovic, or eventually Rondae HollisJefferson when the rookie is ready to return. Both are among the team’s young core that owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to see developed.
Johnson was the NBA’s secondhighestpaid player at $24.9 million, money the Nets will desperately need this offseason. The Nets don’t have control of their own firstround pick until 2019, putting a premium on both developing the young talent they do have — much of it wing talent that had been blocked by Johnson’s presence — and also on being able to add free agents with their expected $40 million in cap space.
Still, a source close to the player said Johnson genuinely loves the area and enjoyed the bulk of his time as a Net. Even though the Nets won’t hold his Bird Rights, Johnson was comfortable in Brooklyn, so a reunion next season isn’t impossible if the team improves enough to lure him back.
“I’ve never ruled Brooklyn out. Coming back to Brooklyn, I’ve never ruled that out,’’ Johnson said recently. “I just said I want to play on a winning team, play for a winner. That’s pretty much it.”
Nets 116, Suns 106
Bogdanovic, who hadn’t started since Jan. 8, took advantage of the extra playing time, scoring a seasonhigh 24 points to lead seven players in doublefigures as the Nets rolled in Phoenix.
Thaddeus Young added 18 points and eight rebounds and Markel Brown added 16 points off the bench.
Former Net, Mirza Teletovic led the Suns with a seasonhigh 30 points, but Phoenix lost its 13th consecutive game.