Williams and Johnson will be tough to move prior to NBA Draft

June 3, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Nets general manager Billy King (right) will have his hands full trying to deal off either Deron Williams (left) or Joe Johnson this summer. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

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What was once dubbed the “Best Backcourt in the NBA” by Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King is looking more and more like the most overpaid set of guards in the league’s history.

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, two of the Nets’ foundation pieces upon their arrival in Downtown Brooklyn three years ago, will collect a combined $68 million over the next two seasons.

That isn’t exactly looking like it will be money well-spent, considering Brooklyn’s first-round exit from the playoffs in two of their first three campaigns in our fair borough. Not to mention the fact that both players appear to be nudging past their peak performance years, to put it kindly.

Williams, who was inked to a five-year, $98 million pact in July of 2012, is owed a whopping $43 million over the next two seasons, meaning he will be about as tough to move out of Brooklyn this summer as the Williamsburg Bridge.

Johnson will receive $25 million in 2015-16, the final installment of the whopping six-year, $123.7 million contract he signed with the Atlanta Hawks back in 2010.

The Nets picked up the final four years and $90 million on that pact in a blockbuster deal with Atlanta during the summer of 2012, and are still paying for it.

In fact, what would have been Brooklyn’s first pick in this year’s draft, slotted at No. 15 overall, now belongs to the Hawks, who finished with the NBA’s best record this past season, via stipulations of the Johnson deal.

Brooklyn is left to find an infusion of young talent by picking 29th and 41st overall on June 25 at the Barclays Center, hardly prime spots for elite talent in the 60-pick, two-round pool.

But if King and the Nets’ talent evaluators find a way to climb back into the top half of the draft via a trade, they just might find a way to please billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who is doubtlessly growing quite tired of paying record-setting prices for mediocre-at-best results.

The New York Post reported earlier this week that both Williams and Johnson were missing from a letter King and Nets CEO Brett Yormark sent out to Nets fans regarding the team’s immediate future.

The missive, which came after the front-office duo visited Prokhorov in Moscow, revealed plans to re-sign the front-court tandem of center Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, both of whom are eligible for free agency this summer.

It also went on to mention the team’s “emerging young core” of Bojan Bogdanovic, Sergey Karsev, Markel Brown and Mason Plumlee.

That left Williams and Johnson twisting in the summer trade winds for the three weeks leading up to the draft, and perhaps afterward if King is unable to orchestrate a major deal by the 25th.

Johnson has proven himself to be a useful, if not spectacular, player during his three-year stint here. An NBA team with payroll space on the verge of competing for a title next season may want to bring him in at his exorbitant price tag, if not this summer than at least by the time we get to next February’s trade deadline.

Williams, on the other hand, who was rumored be headed to Sacramento as recently as last season, appears to be locked into the Nets’ payroll until at least the summer of 2016.

The omission of these two franchise players from a letter detailing the team’s plans for the future sent out by management seemed unthinkable three summers ago when King was lauding their arrival on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall.

It also indicates clearly that the Nets are ready to move on from both Williams and Johnson.

The only remaining questions are which one will King be able to move first, and who exactly will take Williams or Johnson off the Nets’ hands?

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In other local pro sports news, the New York Islanders announced this week that many of their Long Island traditions will remain intact and be expanded upon when they arrive in our fair borough for the 2015-16 season.

In maintaining continuity with the move, the Islanders will keep their iconic logo, as well as their primary home and road jerseys, a team issued statement announced.

Additionally, the banners of the team’s four Stanley Cup championships, former Head Coach Al Arbour, former General Manager Bill Torrey and retired Islanders jersey numbers will hang in the rafters at Barclays Center as a permanent tribute to the team’s rich history.

Popular elements that have been mainstays at Islanders games such as the public address announcer and the Blue and Orange Army will also remain part of the game experience.

The Islanders public address announcer, Roger Luce, will continue to be the voice of the Islanders at Barclays Center. Luce has been a presence at Islanders games since the 1998-99 season.

The Blue and Orange Army, the Islanders super-fan group and some of its most boisterous supporters, will lead the crowd in “Yes! Yes! Yes!” chants from section 229 at Barclays Center, also known as Loudville.

Islanders legends Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Butch Goring, and Bobby Nystrom have been named inaugural members of the New York Islanders Legends Program at Barclays Center.

Each legend will serve as an official Islanders ambassador starting with the 2015-16 season. Members will make special appearances at community events and Islanders games to foster the team’s presence in and around the borough.

“It is of the utmost importance to us to carry on the many deep-rooted traditions of the New York Islanders as they move to Brooklyn,” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark.

“Throughout its history, the team’s customs and unique elements have been instrumental in shaping the identity of the franchise. We’ve spent a lot of time talking with Islanders fans who made it clear they wanted their favorite traditions brought to Brooklyn, and we have listened. We are also delighted to have the support of Islanders legends as we welcome the team to the borough.”

For more information about the Islanders move to Brooklyn visit http://www.barclayscenter.com/ny-islanders.