Now the question is whether to match the four-year, $50 million offer sheet the Brooklyn Nets will tender to the scrappy guard.
Advertisement
Jeremy Lin might have found his backcourt partner with the Brooklyn Nets as his new team signed restricted free agent Tyler Johnson on Sunday.
The Nets believe in Tyler Johnson’s potential. Once the NBA’s moratorium period ends on July 7, the Heat will have three days to match the offer made by the Nets.
According to David Aldridge of TNT, there will be a player option in place after the third year.
Johnson has still never played even half an National Basketball Association season’s worth of games. Years three and four of the Johnson deal could be hard for Miami to maneuver under its salary cap structure.
Other teams interested in Johnson were the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans as also noted by Wojnarowski.
Undrafted out of Fresno State in 2014, Johnson missed a large chunk of last season after having shoulder surgery but has shown plenty as an emerging piece of the Heat’s backcourt.
Johnson recovered in time to return for the playoffs, appearing in five postseason games. Johnson has career averages of 1.6 assists per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, and 7.4 points per game.
Johnson’s deal will be one of the most surprising deals this 2016 offseason with the salary cap rising for all National Basketball Association teams. It is important to note, however, that if Miami doesn’t match the cap hit for Brooklyn is a flat $12.5 million.
Advertisement
Miami is still pursuing Kevin Durant, and hoping to convince Dwyane Wade to re-sign. It will then rise up to approximately $18.9 million for year 3 and $19.6 million for the fourth year.
