RealGM

I want to share this thought, but I warn you it is totally unfounded. It is not based on any inside info or even rumor. Feel free to bash it.

Looking at teams with cap room and their needs, it seems obvious that Joe will only be a contingency plan for most teams and he's already said that he doesn't want to play a waiting game this summer. For instance, Miami and Chicago will probably try to land a big (Bosh/Amare/Boozer) and/or Dwayne Wade. New York will undoubtedly court Lebron. Wizards and Kings? No clue. There are 2 teams that could utilize the strategy I am about to lay out to target Joe, but let me eliminate the Clippers as not be brash enough to try leaving New Jersey.

New Jersey is horrible right now sure, but has a few nice core pieces like Devin Harris and Brook Lopez and they should have a high draft pick (4th at the worst, so Wall, Cousins, Favors, Turner, or Wesley Johnson) and they also have a late 1st from Dallas and the top pick in round 2 which should be a contributor in a likely deep draft. They have cap room for a max player and several veteran role players. They have a new owner with deep pockets and they are a couple years away from Brooklyn which no longer seems like a pipe dream. Depending on how the draft goes (as long as they don't draft Evan Turner), they could target Joe as the first target rather than woo bigger names who will ultimately say no. They can weigh in with a full max deal and make Joe feel like he's target #1.

But what else could New Jersey offer Joe to make him overlook their poor record? How about going after another free agent to make him feel comfortable about the move? A free agent coach named Mike Woodson. In a move similar to what Portland did with Nate McMillan, New Jersey could throw money at Woodson that the ASG likely wouldn't match. That's my wild conjecture. A desperate team with money like the Nets can go for both Atlanta free agents and surround Joe with a high lottery pick, a C, a quality back court mate and several other talented contributors.

You can say that New Jersey having the worst record this year would prevent Joe from choosing them, but if you pair a familiar coach with enough other new talent they could spring to the top of the suitor list while New York waits for bigger name guys to make up their mind.

That was my wild conjecture. What do you think? Would the Nets (or any other team) go for Joe and Woody in a sort of package?

Woodson as the bait to attract Joe?
Woodson as the bait to attract other FAs?
Woodson as a coach wonderful enough to plot to steal?

Does not compute.

Joe to NJ makes great sense IF they can also sign another max FA. Joe, Lopez, Harris, a HIGH 1st and, say, Chris Bosh is instantly a contender. However, if it's Yi instead of Bosh, then Joe's gone from a contender to a struggler that'll be good in a couple of years.

Personally, I hope the rumors about Joe are wrong and he's just trying to get the Hawks to bid against themselves.

If New Jersey signs Joe Johnson and is willing to beat any ASG offer per year by $250k to Coach Woodson I believe he leaves us. On a four year deal $250 x 4 = $1 Million, so I can see it happening.

I believe Chris Bosh was quoted to saying New Jersey won't be an option for him. Take it for what it's worth, but a fan on here was at the Toronto/Sacramento game, and heard Chris Bosh responding to a fan with "Hell No" to joining Sacramento. The poster also said the same fan asked Jarrett Jack a question and his response was "No one even knows where Sacramento is"......

I believe Chris Bosh is going to Houston in a S&T so he can get the entire max, or sign with Miami.

Further clarification.

My theory is Woodson is only bait-like for Joe not other free agents because he runs a system that maximizes Joe (which is important to him). Also say what you will about Woodson, but he has shepherded a rebuilding project. This time it will just be a shorter time-table Furthermore, Woodson wouldn't have to be hired to land Joe Johnson in that order, but they could offer Joe every dollar they can pay and say if you want him as your coach we'll pursue Woodson hard enough to get him. That's the bait part. Joe gets start of free agency attention rather than waiting while the big 4 to make decisions first and is given the opportunity to name his coach. That's about as much ego catering that a team can do which is the kind of thing needed to sway interest when you're the worst team in the league. They got the deep-pocket owner to afford overpaying Joe and hiring his personal coach.

The competitiveness of the lineup I think would actually hinge on Nets landing someone like Cousins or Favors in the draft to play PF with Lopez at C. Harris and Joe would be the guards while SF would likely be a veteran FA role player (they have another 8M available to spend). Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams would be the backup wings with Yi coming off the bench as well. I like the idea of using their late first and early 2nd on the likes of Da'Sean Butler and Jarvis Varnado or similar (strong draft for athletic forwards and project bigs, weak for PGs). I'd also think you sign a veteran G to back up Harris and they are instantly competitive in the East.

If they draft John Wall I think Joe could still be a target, but the carrot in that case would be a sign and trade full max deal in which they actually offer Harris back in the deal allowing them to sign another big dollar free agent like Boozer. The starting lineup in this scenario would be something Wall, Joe, Yi, Boozer, and Lopez. If you don't like Yi at SF you can role with Lee or Williams as SF and bring Yi off the bench. The starting lineup is instantly formidable, but depth would be an bit of an issue (every fa dollar spent on the 2 max - Harris's salary). The late first and early 2nd can't be projects but rather solid role players in this model.

If they draft Evan Turner or Wesley Johnson, I think Joe is off their radar as they land their star wing player and they focus on pursuing a PF full force (like Stat) or maybe Rudy Gay. Depending on there free agency success, this lineup would probably be the weakest short-term, but should have a longer window to compete and could be primed for a big run when they get to Brooklyn. Also depending on free agency, you can either spend your other picks with a little more eye on upside in this model without worrying about instant contribution or if you do land someone like Amare you can go after instant role player contributions (as well as having cash to spend on other upgrades to the bench).