Who's Next on the Nets' Cut List After Waiving Keon Johnson

Keon Johnson quickly became a fan favorite for Brooklyn Nets fans after joining the team in 2023. Across the last two seasons, the wing averaged 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a steal per game. Most of that production came last season, when he posted the best numbers of his career.

However, despite some impressive performances, the Nets waived Johnson after nearly two years with the organization. Many were disappointed, and the 23-year-old could still get another NBA contract.

Brooklyn was practically left no choice but to cut Johnson, as the team was and still is over the 15-player roster limit. The Nets currently have 19 players on standard contracts after trading for Atlanta Hawks wing Kobe Bufkin and signing D'Andre Davis. Rather than giving Davis an Exhibit 9 deal, he has a partially-guaranteed standard contract.

That leaves Brooklyn with no choice but to trade or cut four more players before the start of the regular season. The standard roster limit is 15, so expect plenty of other moves in the coming weeks.

With that being said, who is at risk of being waived? It's safe to say that Cam Thomas, Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton, Terance Mann, Ziaire Williams, Day'Ron Sharpe and the five first-round rookies are safe from being waived. With 11 players unlikely to be cut, that leaves about eight names with a slightly solid to major chance of leaving.

Davis and Bufkin are the first two names to come to mind, although Bufkin has a legitimate case to stay being drafted 15th overall just two years ago. The Nets traded for Haywood Highsmith earlier in the offseason, but he doesn't fit their timeline, which means they could certainly let him walk to a playoff team.

As for the rest, Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin and Drew Timme are the names with the best chance of getting cut, along with Davis. While each of them has brought something valuable to the table, it's a matter of who has made the best case to stay. While this is a rebuilding team, there are still simply better players on the roster.

If there were four players to be cut right now, it would most likely be Martin, Wilson, Whitehead and Davis. The first three didn't show enough to beat out the rest of the team, and Davis was merely a Summer League player for Brooklyn.

The Nets still have time to finalize the 15-man roster, but they can't be over the 21-person training camp roster before Sept. 23. Brooklyn still has a lot of work to do over the next week or so, despite being a team with low expectations.