Tyler Johnson lost all control of his stomach when the Brooklyn Nets presented him a substantial $50 million offer sheet.
In an attempt to make a splash this offseason, Nets General Manager Sean Marks pursued free agent guards Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe. Both guys denied their particular offers, but the former had quite the experience following, according to ESPN’s Pablo Torre.
Four years isn’t a long time, but, no matter how you cut it, $50 million is a lot of money. So much, in fact, that Johnson had to call his mom before losing his lunch in his hotel room.
“We did it,” said Johnson.
After going undrafted out of Fresno State and spending two years with the Heat, Brooklyn took a stab at him. He’s young–just turned 24 in May–and can seamlessly transition between both guard spots.
His numbers don’t stick out. And him being unproven makes him a huge gamble. Through his first two seasons, a total of 68 games, Johnson averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while burying almost 38 percent of his triples.
Significant improvements came as a sophomore, and Johnson became a more well-rounded and efficient scorer. Going forward without Dwyane Wade, he’s in an excellent position and looks to be an integral piece of Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.
Opening night for Miami was Wednesday, and Johnson chipped in 15 points on 7/11 shooting and six rebounds in their 108-96 win.
Had he come to the Nets, he would’ve been a more-than-adequate backup to Jeremy Lin, but the Heat were adamant about keeping him and matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet in early July.
Being young and versatile, he would be at home in Kenny Atkinson’s system and would’ve been someone who spent most of his career with that organization.
Even though Johnson vomited over the lump sum, the annual breakdown is just as vomit-inducing: roughly $5.7 million per year for the first two, and the final two (which includes a player option for year four) are worth $19.2 million a year.
