Miami Heat

Report: Joe Johnson buyout would 'pique Heat's interest'

Published Feb. 3, 2016 1:44 p.m. ET

foxsports

Joe Johnson may be sticking around in Brooklyn. He may not. What we know is he says he won't request a trade. When asked about a buyout, though, he left things a little more murky.

So, let's say we live in a world where Johnson does get bought out by the Nets. Let's say he and the team come to some agreement and the 34-year-old wing, who has played much better of late, hits the free agent market. In that scenario, some team in Florida might have interest in his services:

Tax concerns aside, I'm told this would pique Heat's interest https://t.co/U3NvlYRnOd
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) February 2, 2016

The Heat could use some extra shooting on the wings, and Pat Riley is always someone who's looking for another veteran presence. Johnson could provide both of those aspects.

Though he got off to a slow start to the season, he's caught fire of late, enough that his 1-of-8 performance against the Pistons on Monday looked more like an outlier than a trend. Since Jan. 2, he's shooting 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from three. He's averaged 12.9 points per game over those 17 contests.