Nets' Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith don't let trade rumors get to them
Cam Johnson speaks during the Brooklyn Nets player's exit interviews at their training facility in Industry City, Monday, April 15, 2024. Credit: Jeff Bachner
LAS VEGAS — Dorian Finney-Smith was in Dallas, about to meet Mikal Bridges for a workout. Just before Bridges arrived, Finney-Smith saw the news that Bridges had been traded to the Knicks.
Needless to say, the mood of the workout changed slightly.
“We still ended up working together, but we started talking trash to each other a little bit ’cause now we’re gonna be playing against each other,” Finney-Smith said Sunday. “But that’s my guy; we built some lifelong connections.”
Cam Johnson found out about the Bridges trade via an ESPN alert. He joked that he was among the last to know that his friend — someone he had played with his entire career — now was going to be an opponent.
It might be weird, Johnson said, but he knows the NBA is a business.
“I guess because I’ve played every game with him,” he said. “But he’ll be good, I’ll be good, I’m looking forward to playing against him.”
Johnson and Finney-Smith sat courtside watching the Nets’ second Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. But the question is if they will be courtside next season on the Nets’ bench or another team.
With the Nets in full rebuild mode after trading Bridges, Johnson and Finney-Smith were mentioned in trade talks for potential first-round picks around the NBA Draft. Both are highly coveted as tall wings who can shoot and space the floor.
Johnson has three years left on his contract. Finney-Smith has two, with a player option in the second year.
It’s hard to ignore the chatter, but Johnson was adamant that he’s focused on the Nets’ current roster instead of the uncertainty.
“I’m on the Brooklyn Nets right now. Dorian’s on the Brooklyn Nets right now,” Johnson said. “CT [Cam Thomas], Wat [Trendon Watford], we’re Nets right now, so that’s what we’re focused on is that group.
“If something happens, then something happens, but that’s how we keep the main thing the main thing. And then, like I said, there’s plenty to work on in the meantime, plenty of things to focus on.”
Finney-Smith said things could be tougher if he were a free agent instead of under contract. But he also said the rumors are hard to process, especially wondering if his family will have to uproot again.
“I’m human, so I’m going to pay attention a little bit,” Finney-Smith said. “But I can say I’m wherever my feet are at. And so I’m a Brooklyn Net, and that’s why I’m here.”
Along with Thomas and Nic Claxton, Finney-Smith and Johnson are veterans whom Nets coach Jordi Fernandez can lean on in his first season. They’ve spoken to Fernandez often about their roles next season.
Yet it’s unclear where their future lies. The Nets face a season in which the losses could pile up. The front office also has one eye on the 2025 offseason, when they will have four first-round draft picks and, per Capsheets, about $72.6 million in cap space.
How Johnson and Finney-Smith fit in remains to be seen. But while they’re here, they’re focused on not letting rumors stay in their heads.
“I just figured I have enough to worry about on my end in trying to just be working on myself, working on my body, working on my game,” Johnson said. “Just taking that time in the offseason to get my mental right for another season, and then I’ll just let whatever happens happen.”
Finney-Smith also is thinking about facing Bridges. The two trained for two days after the trade. With Bridges reunited with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, Finney-Smith already is plotting how that first meeting will go.
“We went from what we’re gonna do next year to we’re about to kick y’all [butts],” he said. “We got to break that Villanova [expletive] up.”
Nets fall in Summer League
Keon Johnson had 27 points but the Nets (1-1) lost to the Clippers, 87-78, on Sunday. They will face the Knicks on Tuesday.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
