It’s the NBA offseason, and teams are wheeling and dealing to strengthen their squads for the 2025-2026 campaign. One big trade that happened earlier today was the Brooklyn Nets dealing Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected No. 1 pick in 2032.
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It’s a nice change of scenery for the former North Carolina Tar Heel. He had been with the Nets since February of 2023, and aside from an okay 2022-2023 season, the Nets have been awful.
In the last two years, they finished 32-50 and 26-56. The 29-year-old jumping from that to play alongside Nikola Jokic and the top-ranked Nuggets seems like a dream come true.
And Cam knows it, too. The newest Nugget recently spoke with Andscape about switching teams and how excited he is to squad up with The Joker. But in the process, he also took a very unsubtle jab at his old Brooklyn organization.
“I’m excited! I get an opportunity to compete with some of the league’s best. What more can I ask for?” asked Johnson. It’s no surprise that Brooklyn is on a franchise decline, especially when he was on the team, but the ink is barely dry, and he’s already taking jabs? Respect to him.
“I’m excited! I get an opportunity to compete with some of the league’s best. What more can I ask for?,” new Nuggets small forward Cameron Johnson told @andscape on trade from Nets. pic.twitter.com/LZtzC9WTTV
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 1, 2025
It really is a good upgrade for Denver, though. Porter Jr. was a solid 3-ball wingman, but Cam is just as proficient a shooter, and an even stronger defender than MPJ. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll come up big in clutch moments, but he couldn’t do any worse than Porter did in the postseason.
Denver stayed busy on Monday night as well. Along with Cam, they brought back Bruce Brown Jr. on a one-year deal. Brown was instrumental in the Nugs’ 2023 NBA title and is often referred to as a “glue guy,” meaning he can impact the game in a number of ways. His veteran leadership could be helpful to Johnson in his first year.
The Nuggets took the eventual champions, the OKC Thunder, to seven games this year in the conference semifinals. Watching them build up their assets is proof that they plan on making another run in 2026. Cam Johnson might not have the magic of Tyrese Haliburton or the grit of Chet Holmgren, but when push comes to shove, the dude can play, and that’s exactly what Denver needs.
