Getty Ex-Heat forward Joe Johnson is inking a deal with the Celtics.
A former Miami Heat starter is joining a familiar Eastern Conference rival.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, 40-year-old Joe Johnson is signing a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics. Johnson actually began his career with the Celtics back in 2001 as the 10th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
“Free agent guard Joe Johnson is signing a 10-day deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN,” says Wojnarowski. “Johnson is returning to the franchise that drafted him 20 years ago and is expected to play tonight vs. Cleveland.”
Johnson Last Appeared in an NBA Game in 2017
The Celtics have signed a couple of other players due to their current COVID-19 situation. In fact, they signed 15-year veteran C.J. Miles on Monday, December 20. Miles had been away from the NBA for two years before signing with the Celtics.
Johnson last appeared in the NBA during the 2017-18 season as a member of the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. The veteran swingman appeared in 55 games that season, averaging 6.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Prior to that, Johnson had a short stint with the Heat during the 2015-16 season. The seven-time NBA All-Star signed with the Heat midway through the season after reaching a buyout agreement with the Brooklyn Nets. He started in all 24 regular season games he appeared in along with 14 additional postseason games.
Johnson averaged 13.4 points per game on 51.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc during his Heat stint.
While Johnson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game in nearly four years, he has stayed very active in Ice Cube’s BIG3 League. In fact, he’s established himself as one of the top players in the three-on-three league, winning back-to-back league MVP honors before also winning back-to-back league titles over the past couple of years.
The former All-NBA selection holds career averages of 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game across stints with the Heat, Nets, Jazz, Rockets, Celtics and Phoenix Suns across 17 seasons in the league.
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Shumpert Rips LeBron for Joining Heat
One former NBA player wasn’t a fan of LeBron James joining the Heat.
When James joined the Heat in 2010, it created a new era of sorts in the NBA. No longer were players’ or franchise’s futures dictated by executives. James’ decision to form a “Big Three” trio with buddies Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh jumpstarted the current era of super-teams formed by superstars themselves.
James’ former teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Iman Shumpert, isn’t a fan of the league’s direction.
Said Shumpert during the Bootleg Kev Podcast:
“Nah, it wasn’t K.D. (Kevin Durant),” Shumpert said. “It was Bron first going to Miami. Bron knows he ruined basketball. … Me personally, I love the NBA for the loyalty that I thought was there. He basically knocked the fourth wall down. … He wasn’t supposed to do that.”
James’ decision to join the Heat resulted in two championships and four Finals appearances during all four of his seasons in Miami. It eventually led to Kevin Durant forming a super-team with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. One could also argue the same is taking place right now with the James-led Los Angeles Lakers featuring Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
Whether or not fans agree with Shumpert’s opinion, it is rather accurate. Prior to James’ decision, players didn’t dictate a franchise’s future by coordinating with their basketball peers. It was always the executives who led that process.
Nowadays, players can dictate the future of a franchise and the league by deciding to plan out partnerships months, or even years, in advance.
James led that change in 2010 with his decision to join the Heat.