Here’s one free agent who won’t be leaving Miami this summer.
According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Sunday, the Heat have decided to match Brooklyn’s $50 million offer sheet for restricted free agent guard Tyler Johnson.
The Miami Heat have matched Brooklyn's $50M offer sheet for Tyler Johnson, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 10, 2016
Johnson, 24, averaged 8.7 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game for the Heat last season but was limited to just 36 appearances thanks to a shoulder injury. Though a little-known backup, Johnson carries some intrigue with his off-the-dribble creativity, his sneaky athleticism, and his 38 percent career mark from deep.
The Heat became likely to match on Johnson after Dwyane Wade left for the Chicago Bulls earlier this month. The four-year offer sheet Johnson signed with Brooklyn is less than favorable since it comes attached with a “poison pill” provision that means that, in matching, Miami will be on the hook for approximately $19 million in each of the last two years of Johnson’s deal. But it’s a risk worth taking in the hopes that Johnson can develop into a core player before his contract gets expensive with the Heat looking to prioritize youth moving forward.
For Brooklyn, meanwhile, Johnson marks the second restricted free agent they have failed to poach away in the span of just a few hours as it looks like the admirable offseason ambitions of new general manager Sean Marks have largely come up short.
Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
