James Johnson was a former first round pick who has never found a landing spot. The Heat will be hoping his experience can help them recover from a tough off-season.
Lost amidst the fanfare of the Miami Heat’s offseason was the signing of free agent forward James Johnson. And its understandable, despite Johnson’s status as a former No. 16 overall pick in 2009. Johnson is entering his eighth NBA season, with the Heat becoming his fifth team. Whenever a former high draft pick has bounced around the league, naturally questions are going to be raised. Miami clearly sees some value in him.
The Heat made a low-risk move in acquiring Johnson’s services, signing the veteran to a one year, $4 million deal. Having signed Johnson very early in the free-agency season, the Heat clearly value Johnson’s skill-set. At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Johnson will be seen to provide stability and experience at both the four and five spots.
Johnson is certainly not a prototypical 4 or 5, but undoubtedly has many elements to bring to a team. With Miami losing premiere big-man Chris Bosh, and also in a season of transition, Johnson has the ability to fill many roles. We will wait in anticipation to see the end result.