Keon Johnson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Schröder, Wilson, Johnson, Brunson

August 8th, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Schröder is entering his walk year with the Nets. He’ll make $13MM next season and his expiring contract could be an attractive trade piece.

If it were up to him, Schröder would settle down with the rebuilding franchise. He told Andscape’s Marc Spears he doesn’t want to be moved.

“I want to be in Brooklyn long-term. Hopefully, that works out,” he said. “I want to be a veteran who shows the young people the way and how we should play and how we play as a team. I understand that the NBA is always more individual, but I want to make one team like we had in Atlanta where it was about just winning and really not [caring] who scores. And I want to bring that back to the NBA, to the Brooklyn Nets. And hopefully they see the same vision and of course still compete on the highest level, but that’s going to take some time.”

Schröder appeared in 29 games (25 starts) after being acquired from Toronto in a trade deadline deal. Brooklyn is his seventh team since he entered the league in 2013.

We have more on the New York teams:

Jalen Wilson was named the Las Vegas Summer League MVP, where he averaged 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field and 55.0% from 3-point range in five games. The 23-year-old Nets forward has a $1.89MM minimum-salary contract for 2024/25 that is currently just partially guaranteed for $75K. It increases to a partial guarantee of $325K if he makes the opening night roster. That keeps him motivated. “You can never get complacent with where things are,” he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “And that’s where I’m at. I’m just shooting for more goals, shooting for more achievements. Now that I’m here back in town, you have the opportunity to get in the gym every single day and get better. So you know, when the time comes, that you’re prepared.”
Nets wing Keon Johnson earned a two-year contract with his strong showing in Las Vegas. He’s in a similar situation as Wilson. His minimum salary contract has a $250K partial guarantee that will increase to $700K if he remains under contract through the first day of the regular season. “I feel like it’s a staple to the work I’ve been putting in over the past couple of years,” Johnson told Lewis. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, pretty much since I’ve been drafted, and I just kind of held my hat on– just keep putting the work in, and hopefully one day my number will get called, and I’ll have the opportunity like I am now.”
Jalen Brunson legitimizes the title of Knicks captain, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines in a subscriber-only story. Brunson has embraced a leadership role on and off the court and the decision to name him captain is well-deserved, according to Bondy.

Contract Details: Mobley, K. Johnson, Bona, Matkovic

July 23rd, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The five-year, maximum-salary contract extension that Evan Mobley signed with the Cavaliers features multiple levels of Rose Rule incentives, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during the last episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

According to Windhorst, Mobley’s deal will begin at 27% of the 2025/26 cap if he makes the All-NBA Third Team next season. If he makes the All-NBA First or Second Team or wins Defensive Player of the Year, the starting salary in the extension would be 30% of the ’25/26 cap.

Assuming Mobley isn’t named Defensive Player of the Year and doesn’t make an All-NBA team, his deal would begin at the standard max for a player with four years of NBA experience (25% of the cap).

Here are more details on a few contracts recently signed around the NBA:

Keon Johnson‘s two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets is partially guaranteed for $250K in 2024/25, Hoops Rumors has learned. That partial guarantee will increase to $700K if Johnson remains under contract through the first day of the regular season. The second year is a team option that would be partially guaranteed for $271,614 if it’s exercised.
The four-year contract that No. 41 overall pick Adem Bona signed with the Sixers is worth the minimum across all four seasons and is only fully guaranteed in year one, Hoops Rumors has learned. Bona’s second-year salary of $1,955,377 is just 50% guaranteed, while his third- and fourth-year salaries are non-guaranteed. The fourth year is also a team option.
Karlo Matkovic‘s three-year contract with the Pelicans is worth $5.65MM and is fully guaranteed for the first two seasons, with a third-year team option, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The terms reported by Scotto suggest that New Orleans used the second-round exception to give Matkovic a salary a little above the rookie minimum in 2024/25, with minimum salaries in years two and three.

Nets Sign Keon Johnson To Two-Year Deal

July 21st, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 21: The signing is official, according to the NBA transactions log.

JULY 20: The Nets are re-signing free agent shooting guard Keon Johnson to a standard contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), Johnson is inking a two-season agreement with the Nets. The contract is partially guaranteed for 2024/25 and will have a team option for ’25/26.

Johnson has enjoyed an outstanding run throughout this year’s Las Vegas Summer League thus far. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for Brooklyn this offseason.

The 6’5″ swingman was selected with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Tennessee. Johnson, then just 19, split his rookie season between the Clippers and Trail Blazers. He stayed with Portland for the 2022/23 season, but broke a finger midway through the year, cutting him off at just 40 games.

Johnson was shipped out to the Suns as part of the three-team deal that landed All-Star point guard Damian Lillard with the Bucks and was cut prior to the start of the 2023/24 season.

He ultimately landed with the Nets on a two-way deal last season, appearing in just five games for Brooklyn. Across those contests, Johnson averaged 6.2 points per contest on .381/.400/.917 shooting splits. He also chipped in 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.6 steals per night.

New York Notes: Thomas, K. Johnson, Kolek, Thibodeau, Knicks

July 18th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Nets guard Cam Thomas said he’s been impressed with new head coach Jordi Fernandez so far. Fernandez is currently with the Canadian national team as it prepares for the Olympics in Paris later this month.

“It’s been good,” Thomas said of adjusting to Fernandez. “He’s very smart. He’s very detailed. I think he’ll be good for our young team. I think we’re going the young route, so that’ll be good for us because he’s all about the details and pushes us to be great. I can’t wait to actually get to work with him.”

Thomas also discussed a number of other topics, including his contract situation. The 22-year-old, who led the team in scoring in 2023/24, is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2024/25 regular season begins. He would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2025 if a deal isn’t reached.

“You definitely think about it, but it’s not something I’m pushing for,” Thomas told Scotto. “Whatever happens with the organization happens. I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is going out there and playing the best basketball I can play. Whatever happens will happen. I’m not really pressed on it. … I want to keep improving my game to get ready for next season.”

On a related note, Thomas recently switched agents and is now represented by Alex Saratsis, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Saratsis’ agency, Octagon, announced the addition of Thomas to its client list earlier this month.

Here’s more from the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

Lewis’ story is primarily focused on former first-round pick Keon Johnson, who finished last season on a two-way deal with the Nets. An unrestricted free agent who is still just 22 years old, Johnson has impressed with his defense, improved shot and decision-making in Summer League action, per Lewis. The Nets have one standard roster spot and a pair of two-way openings available, and Johnson thinks his play can translate to real NBA minutes. “I mean, I feel like everything that I’m doing out there is completely translated to what I would be doing on the main court, as far as playing defense, spacing the court and making open shots,” Johnson said. “And then whenever I do have the ball in my hands, just making simple reads. I feel like every day in Summer League I’ve kind of been showing that, and hopefully after Summer League, I’ll be able to do the same thing.”
Knicks rookie guard Tyler Kolek isn’t lacking for confidence, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). The former Marquette star, who was a second-round pick last month (34th overall), has impressed during Summer League action. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised [how well I’m playing],” Kolek said. “All the work that I’ve put in has gotten me to this point. I’ve been in a lot of games in college. I’m not some first-year rookie that’s just come in playing 10, 12, 15 games in college, maybe only averaged 20 minutes a game. I’ve played a lot of games and I’m really comfortable on the basketball court.”
In the same story, Bondy says there’s still an expectation that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau will sign a contract extension. Bondy is surprised a deal has yet to be reached, though he acknowledges New York has had a very busy offseason so far.
Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at the Knicks‘ roster following the signing of Cameron Payne, writing that the team now has one of the deepest pool of guards in the league. According to Katz, the Knicks view Miles McBride as more of a two than a one, which is why they added Kolek and Payne. Like Bondy, Katz has also heard from sources that Thibodeau is “more likely to extend than not.” Katz also examines Precious Achiuwa‘s free agency, suggesting that a reunion is still possible, but it may behoove both sides to wait and see if any sign-and-trade opportunities arise.

New York Notes: Finney-Smith, Nets, Johnson, Kolek

July 14th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith knows he could be dealt this offseason or sometime next season. He’s a productive role player with two years and a little over $30MM remaining on his contract, including a player option for the 2025/26 season. He admits the possiblity is on his mind.

“I’m human. So of course I’ve got family always asking me what’s going on and (stuff) like that,” he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). “But I’m just honest. I’m human so I’m going to pay attention a little bit. But I’m wherever my feet are at. And so I’m a Brooklyn Net.”

We have more from the New York teams:

Player development is key for the Nets during Summer League play and they displayed some tenacity against Indiana on Friday, rallying from 15 points down to claim a two-point win. “They never quit, down 15, fought as hard as they could. Scrapped, clawed … There’s a lot to clean up, but I’m very happy with with their effort. They never gave in,” Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com.
Unrestricted free agent Keon Johnson had 16 points and six assists in that game. Johnson had a two-way contract with the Nets last season and is trying to earn another NBA deal, with the Nets or another team. “Right now I’m just really focused on summer league. This is the only opportunity that I know I have right now,” Johnson told Lewis. “So I’m just really focused on playing summer league and just showing what I can do. And hopefully I’ll be here. But just giving myself the best opportunity for my career.”
Early second-round pick Tyler Kolek started for the Knicks’ Summer League squad on Saturday and dished out seven assists. The former Marquette floor leader could be a better option as a depth point guard than the remaining free agent options, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

New York Notes: Johnson, Hetzel, McCullar, Jokubaitis, Brunson

July 12th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Keon Johnson played on a two-way contract with the Nets last season and is now an unrestricted free agent. He’s trying to earn another NBA deal while playing on Brooklyn’s Summer League team.

Johnson appeared in five Nets games last season.

“It’s really their interest that they’ve shown to me at the beginning,” Johnson told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Brooklyn had interest in me during the draft. They couldn’t get me in the draft, but really just having an organization around me that is hands-on and wants to see me grow. So I feel like with the free agency that I have right now, all I’m focused on is just someone giving me the opportunity to play ball. I feel like everything else will settle itself whenever I step out onto the court. But right now I’m just focused on step [one], being on the court and showing what I can do.”

We have more New York notes:

Jordi Fernandez and his Nets coaching staff want to establish their philosophy and approach during the Summer League, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “From our standpoint, as a group, as a coaching staff from Jordi and also the front office, we don’t see our style of play changing necessarily with our roster compared to the summer league,” Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said. “And that’s the importance of summer league is to set a foundation of how we want to play. … We want our Brooklyn Nets team to be disruptive, physical and help, and we want to play fast and share the ball. So the messaging, it will just carry over into that team.”
Knicks second round pick Kevin McCullar won’t play in the Summer League, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. The 56th pick of the draft out of Kansas is still rehabbing a knee injury he suffered in his final college season.
Rokas Jokubaitis, a 2021 draft pick, is on the Knicks’ Summer League roster but he’s apparently returning to Europe, rather than coming to the Knicks’ training camp. After three years with Barcelona, the draft-and-stash prospect is close to returning to Zalgiris Kaunas in his home country Lithuania, according to Donatas Urbonas of Basket News.
Jalen Brunson‘s extension includes a 15% trade kicker, Katz tweets. The Knicks star guard signed the four-year extension on Friday.

Keon Johnson Signs Two-Way Contract With Nets

November 1st, 2023 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Maher

NOVEMBER 1: The Nets have officially signed Johnson to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

OCTOBER 31: Free agent guard Keon Johnson plans to sign a two-way deal with the Nets, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As our tracker shows, the Nets have an open two-way spot, so they won’t need to waive anyone to sign Johnson. Their 18-man roster will be full once the move is official.

Johnson, the 21st overall pick of the 2021 draft, was sent to Phoenix from Portland in the three-team blockbuster that saw Damian Lillard land with Milwaukee. The 21-year-old was waived by the Suns last week, just before the season started, due to the team’s roster crunch.

The fourth-year option on Johnson’s rookie scale contract was declined when he was cut by Phoenix, though the team will still be paying his $2.8MM salary this season. After clearing waivers, the third-year guard became an unrestricted free agent, but he was ineligible to return to the Suns on a two-way deal since his contract was guaranteed for more than $75K (the maximum two-way protection amount). Phoenix is now the lone NBA team with a two-way opening.

An explosive athlete who was viewed as a developmental project when he declared for the draft after one college season at Tennesseee, Johnson struggled to score efficiently over his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers and Trail Blazers, averaging a combined 5.9 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.6 RPG on .362/.343/.739 shooting in 77 games (14.4 MPG). Due to the Nets’ crowded backcourt, Johnson will likely be spending a good chunk of 2023/24 in the G League with their affiliate in Long Island.

If Johnson officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll earn a two-way salary of $534,045 and will be eligible to appear in up to 48 regular season games.

Suns Waive Keon Johnson

October 23rd, 2023 at 4:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

OCTOBER 23: As expected, Phoenix has officially waived Johnson, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed today (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

“Hope to be able to coach him again someday,” Vogel said of Johnson.

OCTOBER 22: The Suns plan to waive third-year shooting guard Keon Johnson as they deal with roster crunch, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Cutting the 21-year-old will allow the team trim its standard roster to the required league maximum of 15 players on standard contracts, Woj adds. Johnson was acquired in the club’s three-team deal with the Trail Blazers and Bucks that landed Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen in Phoenix.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Johnson had two years remaining on his deal, though his contract for the 2024/25 season was a team option. Should he clear waivers without being claimed by a rival team, Phoenix will be on the hook to the tune of a $2.8MM cap hit.

Johnson would be eligible for a two-way contract with a new team, but not with the Suns, since his contract was guaranteed for more than $75K (the maximum two-way protection amount).

The 6’5″ swingman out of Tennessee was selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2021 draft, and his rights were acquired by the Clippers in a draft-night trade agreement. Across 77 career NBA games logged between L.A. and Portland, Johnson boasts career per-game averages of 5.9 points, 1.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 steals, with a shooting line of .362/.343/.659.

More Details On The Three-Team Lillard Blockbuster

September 30th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks were interested in acquiring Damian Lillard immediately after he made his trade request on July 1, but the deal didn’t start to come together until this past Sunday.

As Adrian Wojnarowski writes in an in-depth story for ESPN (Insider link), Bucks general manager Jon Horst told Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin from the outset that their talks had to remain a secret or Milwaukee would withdraw from negotiations.

According to Wojnarowski, Horst didn’t want Jrue Holiday to be involved in any trade rumors, or used as leverage by Cronin with other teams to increase offers for Lillard. The Bucks didn’t want to disrupt their chemistry and hold Holiday in very high regard. That meant Cronin was unable to gauge Holiday’s market value before agreeing to the trade.

As Wojnarowski details, Horst told Cronin that the only way a deal would work is if the Blazers took their time fielding offers and eventually circled back to Milwaukee for one-on-one talks. That started Sunday evening, with both sides feeling like they had reached a breakthrough.

Cronin was determined to say patient and accept the best possible offer, per Woj, and kept details of Lillard negotiations hidden from prying eyes. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, was determined to steer him to Miami, but Lillard didn’t have much leverage. Wojnarowski strongly suggests Cronin felt the need to keep things private from Goodwin in case he tried to tank trade talks with non-Heat teams.

One of the most fascinating and “delicate” parts of the deal was Phoenix’s involvement. According to Wojnarowski, the Blazers and Suns had the outline of a trade together for months — Deandre Ayton to Portland for Jusuf Nurkic. Cronin wanted to tie that agreement into any Lillard trade, so throughout the offseason he kept circling back to the Suns.

However, as Wojnarowski writes, due to Milwaukee’s insistence on secrecy, Cronin was unable to tell Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein the final details until the last minute. According to Woj, Phoenix knew it was getting Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson from the Blazers in a three-team deal, but the Suns wanted another asset in return.

Cronin was unable to tell the Suns who that player was — or who he played for. Cronin did tell the Suns the mystery player’s position and gave an approximation of his salary, and Phoenix was able to deduce it was either Thunder guard Victor Oladipo or Bucks guard Grayson Allen.

Only on Wednesday afternoon — just before the trade was made public — did Cronin confirm that it was Allen, whom the Suns had reportedly been interested in for several months. According to Wojnarowski, Bartelstein, GM James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia quickly discussed and then agreed to the deal.

The Blazers were happy and relieved to have completed the deal, per Woj, and believed they did right by Lillard by sending him to a contender, even if it wasn’t his preferred destination. Shortly thereafter, Cronin was bombarded by calls inquiring about Holiday, who is now the hottest name on the trade block.

Wojnarowki’s full story is definitely worth reading in full if you subscribe to ESPN+.

Suns Rumors: McConnell, Johnson, Ishbia, Ayton, Lowry

September 29th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns are believed to have maintained their interest in Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said in the latest episode of the No Cap Room podcast (YouTube link).

Phoenix’s interest in McConnell was reported by multiple outlets earlier in the summer, but at that time, the team had no clear path to acquiring him due to his $8.7MM cap hit. Following their trade of Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara for four players, the Suns have more potential pathways to acquiring McConnell, with either Nassir Little ($6.25MM) or Grayson Allen ($8.93MM) as a logical salary-matching piece.

While Fischer points out that the Suns are extremely short on point guard depth, he admits he’s not sure if the team will be eager to sacrifice its wing depth by moving a player like Little or Allen. Allen, in particular, had been on Phoenix’s radar for a while, as Fischer noted on Wednesday.

Here’s more on the Suns:

During the same podcast, Fischer reiterated that Keon Johnson‘s days in Phoenix are likely numbered. “I don’t think they’ve officially waived Keon Johnson yet, but from my understanding, they plan to waive him,” Fischer said. The former first-round pick was sent from Portland to the Suns in Wednesday’s blockbuster deal.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia was “very involved” in the trade that landed Allen, Little, Johnson, and Jusuf Nurkic in Phoenix, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick explains, the Suns view the move as one that not only adds depth but gives them players who better fit around their stars. Nurkic was a longtime target for the club, which is “thrilled” to have landed him, Amick adds.
While he’s not an All-Star like Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, Ayton is the only player in Wednesday’s blockbuster who is a former No. 1 overall pick, so his departure represents the end of an era, of sorts, in Phoenix. Doug Haller of The Athletic and Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com take a look back at Ayton’s tenure with the franchise and, in Bourguet’s words, the “polarizing, complicated” legacy he’ll leave behind.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 has shot down a report claiming that the Suns had interest in acquiring Kyle Lowry from the Heat as part of a three-team trade if the Trail Blazers had decided to send Lillard to Miami. There’s “absolutely no truth” to that claim, according to Gambadoro (Twitter link), who says Phoenix was “totally focused” on Nurkic and the smaller pieces they could get with him.