Lakers Key Trade Target Suffers Injury Just Weeks Before Trade Deadline

One of the top trade chips on the market this year has suffered a critical injury at exactly the wrong time.

Nov 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) dunks the ball in front of Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Are the Los Angeles Lakers quite done making deals ahead of this season's February 6 NBA trade deadline?

Last week, L.A. built out its depth by flipping lame-duck point guard D'Angelo Russell's expiring deal, second-year combo forward Maxwell Lewis, and three future second round draft picks in exchange for 3-and-D small forward Dorian Finney-Smith and shooting guard Shake Milton.

Read More: Lakers Trade D'Angelo Russell to Nets in Massive Deal

Now, another key Brooklyn veteran who could serve as an intriguing trade target for Los Angeles, is out for at least the next week with a fresh ailment.

Brooklyn Nets Injury Updates:

Cam Johnson sustained a right ankle sprain in the Jan. 2 game at Milwaukee. He is expected to miss the next three games and will be reevaluated prior to the team’s upcoming West Coast road trip.

Cam Thomas sustained a new left hamstring strain…

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 4, 2025

Johnson sprained his right ankle during the Nets' 113-110 upset road victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. The 6-foot-8 pro will be sidelined for at least Brooklyn's next three bouts, and is set to have his status updated following an appraisal prior to the club's impending West Coast road tilt.

Even if the Lakers don't trade for his services, it seems likely that someone will. Johnson is currently earning $22.5 million in the second season of a very reasonable declining four-year, $94.5 million contract. For a versatile, two-way forward who could at least approach fringe All-Star status at some point, that's quite the value.

Following the departure of Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade to the New York Knicks this past summer, the 28-year-old took on more of the scoring burden for the Nets than he ever had before. He's averaging a career-best 19.5 points on .496/.436/.895 shooting splits (that 43.6 percent 3-point conversion rate arrives on a high-volume 7.5 triple tries a night), plus 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.9 steals per night, across 32 healthy games for the 13-21 Nets.

Bringing in Johnson to help shore up the club's scoring and wing defense could be a huge get for Los Angeles. Per Spotrac's NBA Trade Machine, one workable deal would see the Lakers offloading starting small forward Rui Hachimura, little-used second-year point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, and backup forward Cam Reddish's minimum contract to Brooklyn in exchange for Johnson. Obviously, the Nets would at least require one of L.A.'s two movable future first round draft picks back in a deal for Johnson, and would likely request both.

ESPN's NBA Trade Machine, via its John Holinger Analysis breakdown of the deal, projects that a Johnson deal would improve the Lakers' win total this season by four games. Beyond that, Johnson helps upgrade the club's upside in the playoffs. He was a critical component for the Phoenix Suns' run to the 2021 NBA Finals, after all. Johnson's a more consistent and multi-faceted scorer than Hachimura, and would help the team continue to build out its defense along the wing.

Brooklyn also notes that young shooting guard Cam Thomas is dealing with a left hamstring strain incurred during the same Milwaukee contest, and will likely be out longer. He set to have his health reassessed after the West Coast road trip. Meanwhile, Nets forward Trendon Watford has progressed to individual on-court workouts as he navigates his return from a left hamstring strain. He is set to be re-evaluated in a week.

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