The Los Angeles Lakers have had an up-and-down season in their first 28 games, currently 16-12. Los Angeles started the season on the right foot, but it dealt with some adversity before going on a three-game win streak in its last three games.
Heading into trade season around the NBA, the Lakers have areas they need to improve. A 3-and-D wing would be ideal. Adding a player who can defend and hit shots when needed would be the best outcome, unless a true star becomes available.
There are expected to be many players available, including Cam Johnson. Johnson, who’s shooting an impressive and efficient 43.1% from 3-point range on 7.6 attempts per game, fits the bill of someone the Lakers could use.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report looked at potential trade candidates around the league, naming the Lakers a potential trade partner for Johnson.
“Johnson has raised his value this season, averaging career highs in scoring (18.6 points per game) and three-point efficiency (43.3 percent). When they dealt Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks this summer, the Brooklyn Nets signaled their shift away from competing. Still, the team was winning at too high a clip, leading to the Dennis Schröder deal with the Golden State Warriors to further diminish the team’s viability.
“Many around the league expect Johnson to be next, though his salary may be a little trickier to move with his $4.5 million in unlikely incentives that count against the aprons,” Pincus wrote on December 18.
Johnson Named No. 3 Player on NBA Trade Board
If the Los Angeles Lakers want Johnson, the asking price might be high. He’s viewed as one of the top trade candidates in the NBA this season, and if he keeps shooting the basketball at the level he has, his price will only go up.
The Lakers were named a fit by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, too. Vecenie has Johnson as the No. 3 player on his trade board, proving his worth around the league.
“Johnson is about as perfect a trade deadline candidate as you can find, because he fits like a glove everywhere and shouldn’t be all that difficult to integrate midseason. He’s in the middle of a career year, averaging 18.5 points, four rebounds and three assists. One of the league’s elite shooters, Johnson is a 6-foot-8 wing who has made 39.6 percent of his 3s on nearly six attempts per game over a six-year career.
“He’s deadly from the corners and can also make shots off all sorts of movement actions because he’s one of the rare shooters who can make 3s from nearly any footwork,” Vecenie wrote on December 17.
Lakers Have Interest in Johnson
The Los Angeles Lakers would have to trade a first-round pick for Johnson. The Lakers’ 2029 and 2031 first-round picks are viewed as some of the best assets in the NBA, making a trade for a player of Johnson’s caliber possible if the Lakers are willing to move it.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers like Johnson and his teammate, Dorian Finney-Smith.
“The Brooklyn Nets, who are currently in the Play-In mix in the East, are looking to trade parts of their core to prioritize their future. After trading Schröder, Brooklyn is expected to make wings Cam Johnson ($22.5 million but with a likely cap hit of $27 million) and Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million) available — and much sooner than the Feb. 6 deadline.
“Both have been tied to the Lakers for months. The Lakers have been interested in Finney-Smith for at least a couple of years,” Buha wrote on December 17.
Sticking with Johnson, if the Lakers’ interest is strong, they should be willing to give up at least one of their first-round picks for the 28-year-old.
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