Nets plans may have been KO’d
Dwyane Wade’s decision to bolt Miami won’t just impact the Heat, but it shook up the Nets’ offseason as well.
With Wade off their books after he agreed Wednesday night to join the Bulls, the odds of the Heat matching the Nets’ offer sheet to restricted free-agent guard Tyler Johnson just got a whole lot better.
The Nets briefly were in the lead to trade for Jose Calderon before the ex-Knick point guard was shipped to the Lakers to make some room for Wade. And Brooklyn’s slim hope of getting Portland’s Allen Crabbe may have gotten a slight boost when the Blazers met with Golden State free agent Festus Ezeli. But by far the biggest news was Wade’s move to his hometown team hurting the Nets’ chance of landing Johnson.
Johnson, a 24-year-old combo guard, had agreed to a four-year, $50 million offer sheet that was to become official at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. The Nets gave him a poisonpill deal that would have been tough for the Heat to swallow.
Miami’s cap hit would have escalated from just $5.6 million and $5.8 million in the first two seasons to $18.8 million and $19.6 million in the last two. The Heat not only had $70 million tied up in just three players in 2018-19 but were facing the prospect of Wade’s high salary demands.
That’s not an issue anymore, with one league insider telling The Post the move made it “more likely” the Heat will hold onto Johnson. They could even convince the 6-foot-4 lefty to rescind his agreement with the Nets and simply ink a deal with Miami using cap space, one that won’t be as prohibitive.
NBA TV reported early Thursday morning the Heat reached out to Johnson’s camp, and were likely to offer a more cap-friendly deal with the hopes of keeping him in Miami.
Either way, the end result would be the Nets missing out on a young player they valued enough to hand the biggest free-agent deal in Brooklyn history, a player scouts have said would be a major factor in their muchneeded rebuild.
“He’s a terrific athlete. … The ranks are depleted. Tyler Johnson will be a factor,” scout Scott McGuire told The Post. “He’s got some leadership people don’t talk about. He’s not a rah-rah guy, but going for a rebound, guys will pick up their level because he plays a high level energywise.”
McGuire, the son of Hall of Famer Dick McGuire, knows Johnson well. He has scouted for not only the Knicks but worked for the Heat last season, and he said Johnson, who has risen from undrafted D-Leaguer to sought-after free agent in two years, stands out and will put in the time to improve.
“I don’t think he has anything that’s going to make him a special player in this league. But his defense, athleticism and work ethic are the three things that got Tyler Johnson where he is. They’re already there,” McGuire said.