| Should The Hawks Consider Trading Joe Johnson? Authored by Patrick J. Austin - September 29, 2009 - 7:43 pm
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Ownership needs to think long and hard about how to proceed with any future negotiations. To turn down that kind of money, especially after management showed their willingness to spend money this off-season to upgrade the roster, is extremely disconcerting. Is he simply hoping to get a bigger offer in the summer, or is he biding his time to sign elsewhere?
Let’s not forget, we’ve seen this movie before with Johnson. Phoenix wanted to re-sign him to a long-term deal but he surprisingly turned them down to be “the man” in Hotlanta. I certainly don’t begrudge Johnson for that, especially since he wound up signing with my team, but it is clear Johnson doesn’t develop a love affair with a single team.
Johnson is going to be one of the most courted free agents next summer. He’s the perfect “Option B” for teams like New York, New Jersey, Miami and Chicago once they miss out on LeBron James. All of those teams have a strong fan base and tons of money to spend.
So this situation begs the question – should the Hawks trade Joe Johnson?
Not immediately, but they should keep the option open prior and leading up to the trade deadline. Crazier things have happened and if ownership anticipates an exodus, getting some type of value would be wise for the long-term health of the franchise.
The biggest challenge to entertaining such a proposition is the fact that any team interested in trading for JJ would want assurances he’ll re-sign with them in the summer. If Johnson is truly interested in gauging his market value, then he won’t give any guarantee. This would translate into a low-ball trade offer (e.g. expiring deals and draft picks) or an offer of another big-name player with a 2010 expiring (e.g. Johnson for Bosh, or something to that effect).
One thing is for sure – Hawks ownership and the fans will be anticipating what ends up happening to Johnson throughout the season. If Atlanta has a mediocre year, don’t expect Johnson to return. If there is continued progress and further playoff success, I could see Johnson pulling a Chris Webber circa 2001. Webber was one of the most sought after free agents on the open market but eventually re-signed with the Sacramento Kings for a huge seven-year/$123 million contract. Johnson won’t get that type of money, but he could bump his value up to over $70 million over five years.
We’ll see.
If you’d like to respond to Patrick’s article, send him an e-mail at pja123@hotmail.com |
