The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Keon Johnson, the team announced this morning. He appeared. He started 56 games for Brooklyn last year, appearing in all but three, averaging 10.6 points, 2.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and a steal per game on 49.9 TS. Only Jalen Wilson logged more total minutes than him.
This wasn’t a decision made today, but several weeks ago when the Nets made history by adding five players via the NBA Draft. Prior to Johnson’s release, the team carried 19 players on standard
contracts. You can only have 15 standard contracts at the start of the season.
That, along with the task of needing to reach the salary floor, made this a math thing, and Johnson the unfortunate subtraction. He likely won’t be the last one either again considering those final roster parameters.
Johnson quickly became a favorite of Jordi Fernández with his ball pressure, willingness to take the open three, and overall stingy brand of basketball. With a revolving door at the guard position last year due to trades and injuries, he was the center pillar it spun on, ever-present and adaptable.
He also set the table for what had to be the play of the year, when D’Angelo Russell turned back the clock and down his intravascular temperature vs the Houston Rockets.
As a late first rounder from the 2021 Draft who never started more than 12 games before last year, Johnson turned in a solid season for the Nets, and at the very least, a fun story amid a not-so-fun campaign. All of his aforementioned stats clocked in as career-highs. He put in 839 points in 2024-25, almost twice as many as he had in his three years in Portland and Los Angeles (456).
Johnson remains attached to a partially guaranteed $2.3 million contract. Should no one pick that up after 48 hours, he’ll clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.
