Joe Johnson Reported Buyout

Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
#3
I wonder what it took. Full amount, less what Houston will pay him? A percentage of the full amount just so he can go where he wants?
 
#6
Glad he went to Houston, where they haven't won versus GSW where they've already won w/o him.

It's so damn easy to be a frontrunner; But I gotta wonder how much satisfaction a player really gets receiving a ring on a team that won before they got there and was the odds on favorite to win whether they were on the roster or not. I know I wouldn't get any satisfaction from it.

At least if HOU wins the title and Johnson makes any kind of impact, he can feel like he was a small part of what put them over the top finally.
 
#8
The buyout process seems odd to me. The Kings payoff Johnson and he goes to Houston without any compensation. Why couldn't the Kings have sent him to Houston the day of the trade and gotten a pick or something? I am sure there is some nba reason this wouldn't work, but it still seems odd.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#10
The buyout process seems odd to me. The Kings payoff Johnson and he goes to Houston without any compensation. Why couldn't the Kings have sent him to Houston the day of the trade and gotten a pick or something? I am sure there is some nba reason this wouldn't work, but it still seems odd.
The bottom line here is that Houston doesn't think Joe Johnson is worth $10M (about $3.3M prorated for the rest of the season). They don't want to pay him that much, and they don't want to trade something good to get him (they would have to structure a deal around Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, or Trevor Ariza to work with the salary cap). So instead of giving us something for him (and having to work around the salary cap and perhaps take on some significant extra money) they wait for us to cut him, then they can sign him for league minimum (about a tenth of the price).

Of course, if we don't buy out Johnson, then they're out of luck. That's the way it goes, they have to pick and choose from whoever shows up on the waiver wire.
 
#11
Yes, he would. His need for career validation pushed him to join a team he wasn't good enough to overcome and beat despite Russell Westbrook's help.

I was thinking the other day how AWESOME it would be if OKC managed to topple the Warriors this postseason. I mean, think about it. Russ teaming up with Paul George to beat the team they didn't beat a couple seasons ago that now has KD in the mix. If that happens, it should invalidate the title KD gravy trained last season......
 
#12
Harden always chokes in the playoffs, so I can't get too excited about Houston's chances.
Me neither. I scoff every time I hear Harden's name mentioned for MVP. I mean, WHY? Dude has never accomplished anything. Three 1st round exits, a 2nd round exit and beaten in 5 games the lone time the Rockets reached the Conference finals. I get that it's a regular season award, but reputation certainly plays a part in it.

Never been a fan of his game for numerous reasons, and those reasons are exactly why his team has never won #$%^.

That said, I'd be happy as a clam if he'd prove me wrong and take down the Warriors this postseason. :)
 
#15
Of course, if we don't buy out Johnson, then they're out of luck. That's the way it goes, they have to pick and choose from whoever shows up on the waiver wire.
In my opinion there was not much risk involved in this specific case.
In the trade Kings received c. $3m in cash considerations, which is exactly what was necessary for the buyout.

It was clear to everyone that the Kings are not retaining Joe Johnson.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#16
In my opinion there was not much risk involved in this specific case.
In the trade Kings received c. $3m in cash considerations, which is exactly what was necessary for the buyout.

It was clear to everyone that the Kings are not retaining Joe Johnson.
Well, it's not as if every time a non-contending team deals for an expiring (usually veteran) contract at the deadline that they buy the contract out. It's pretty common, and you can anticipate it, but you can't necessarily rely on it.

That said, I doubt it was clear to anyone prior to a few hours before the deadline that Joe Johnson was going to be dealt to the Kings at all. And with Utah about 2 games down of a playoff spot I'm not sure that, had they not traded him, the Jazz would have cut him. The original question was: Why didn't the Rockets just straight up trade for Joe Johnson? The answer is that they didn't really want Joe Johnson (and his contract, or any contract like his) that badly. They wanted a proven veteran on the cheap for their stretch run. They waited until after the deadline for the carnage to fall out and figured that being a frontrunner they'd have their pick of the buyout crowd. Then they took their pick, and their pick turned out to be Johnson. Had you asked Daryl Morey on Wednesday, 24 hours before the deadline, who his biggest buyout target was, there's probably a good chance he doesn't say Joe Johnson. But he didn't know how everything was going to fall out, and once it did fall out, his decision was clearer.
 
#17
Capt, I absolutely agree with the first point you’ve made in the original post, which is why I only quoted the latter part.

I only pointed out that once trade was known, it was clear the Kings are not keeping Joe. And in my opinion they made it clear to the teams involved, so that they split (albeit not equally) the cost of the buyout.

The Kings were merely facilitators in this trade, nothing more than that.
 
#20
In my opinion there was not much risk involved in this specific case.
In the trade Kings received c. $3m in cash considerations, which is exactly what was necessary for the buyout.

It was clear to everyone that the Kings are not retaining Joe Johnson.
The 3M May have been the difference between taking Joe or Frye, the original rumored deal) and having to waive someone
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#22
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: Here’s money surrendered in contract buyouts with teams. Joe Johnson ($1M). Marco Belinelli: ($300K). Brandan Wright ($776K). Players typically earn back most, if not all, the difference in deals with new teams.

– via Twitter wojespn

Only 1 Mil on buyout! Woot! Maloofs would be proud!
I suspect that the wording here means that Joe Johnson surrendered $1M of what he would otherwise have been due, not that $1M was the total that the Kings paid him. Then the question is whether he surrendered a literal $1M, or if he surrendered a pro-rated $1M (which would be closer to $325K).
 
#24
Harden always chokes in the playoffs, so I can't get too excited about Houston's chances.
True. HOU has everything to take down Golden State but Harden is a quitter.

I have faith that Chris Paul will help him keep his head in the game but then again Chris Paul is far from a patron saint himself.

Adversity needs to be encountered to see if this HOU remake can get it done
 
#25
Yes, he would. His need for career validation pushed him to join a team he wasn't good enough to overcome and beat despite Russell Westbrook's help.

I was thinking the other day how AWESOME it would be if OKC managed to topple the Warriors this postseason. I mean, think about it. Russ teaming up with Paul George to beat the team they didn't beat a couple seasons ago that now has KD in the mix. If that happens, it should invalidate the title KD gravy trained last season......
I don't think anyone besides Warrior fans respect KD's ring.
 
#26
I don't think anyone besides Warrior fans respect KD's ring.
A ring is a ring. He won the finals MVP. Ws did lose to Cavs the year before, and might not have won without KD last year either.

It's all speculation of course, but I think we have to get over the disdain for stars teaming up. It's the norm these days rather than the exception. Honestly, this happened earlier too, though it has become more blatant, since stars at their peak are doing it (starting with Bron and Bosh going to Miami to join Wade).
 
#27
A ring is a ring. He won the finals MVP. Ws did lose to Cavs the year before, and might not have won without KD last year either.

It's all speculation of course, but I think we have to get over the disdain for stars teaming up. It's the norm these days rather than the exception. Honestly, this happened earlier too, though it has become more blatant, since stars at their peak are doing it (starting with Bron and Bosh going to Miami to join Wade).
I don't hate the guy (KD) for teaming up. I think it is WHO he teamed up with and when that bothers people. Now the WHEN part is subjective since he happened to have that choice. Using your example, it isn't like Lebron or Bosh just couldn't get past the Miami Heat in the ECF's to try for a chip.