Former Brooklyn Net Will Have Chance at Title with Nuggets

This offseason, lengthy swingman Cam Johnson was traded to a drastically different situation, going from rebuilding Brooklyn to surging Denver.

In late-June, Brooklyn made the decision to finally offload Johnson to the Nuggets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a future draft pick — likely the right move given where the team is headed.

Now, Johnson — who spent three seasons with the Nets — will have a legitimate chance to compete for an NBA title once again.

Few series were more competitive last postseason than the one between Oklahoma City and Denver, which spanned seven mostly close games. The Thunder would eventually go on to win the title by winning Game 7 against Indiana, but hinted at the fact the Nuggets might very well have been their best competition.

The Thunder very narrowly outlasted the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets, who have now seen an offseason where they’ve upgraded nearly across the board, starting with Johnson.

Across the seven games with Oklahoma City, Porter Jr. was rough in vital minutes. He was gritting out a shoulder injury, but still managed just 7.4 points on 32% shooting in total, hitting on just 25% of 36 total threes. Even slightly more impactful lines could’ve been the difference between winning and losing for Denver.

On the flip-side is Johnson, who’s coming off a career year in Brooklyn. Across 57 total games, he scored 18.8 points on 48% shooting, hitting on a blistering 39% of over seven threes attempted per contest.

Much like Porter Jr. — who was paramount to the team’s title run a few seasons back — Johnson is the perfect fit on the wing with Jokic. And with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and more filling out the roster, Denver could very well be primed to make another run at the title with their former MVP leading.