NBA shooting guard Joe Johnson is likely to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Long Island Newsday reports.
Johnson, a five time All-Star, has spent the last seven seasons with the Atlanta Hawks after originally being drafted by the Boston Celtics as the tenth overall pick of the 2001 draft. He has averaged 17.8 points in his 11-year career.
Johnson’s move to Brooklyn is big news for the basketball world, as Orlando superstar Dwight Howard has deemed the Nets as his most desirable team. Howard’s past two seasons with the Magic have been wrought with tension, and both head coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith were fired in May, though Howard denies he has any influence on the terminations.
The Nets will give the Hawks Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams and DeShawn Stevenson in exchange for Johnson. The Johnson trade means good news for Howard if he ends up in Brooklyn, as he would likely take Brook Lopez’s spot as the starting center.