INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 16: Alize Johnson #24 of the Indiana Pacers warms up before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 16, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly signing forward Alize Johnson to a multi-year contract.
The Brooklyn Nets are going through some things following their blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Kyrie Irving is out for personal reasons, LaMarcus Aldridge is dealing with a non-COVID illness and James Harden is rehabbing a right hamstring strain. As a result, all three players will miss their next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. But on Sunday, the Nets secured some reinforcements on their roster.
The Nets are signing forward Alize Johnson to a multi-year contract worth up to $4.1 million, per his agent George Langberg via ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The specific number of years on Johnson’s new deal has yet to be revealed.
Nets: Brooklyn signs forward Alize Johnson to a multiyear contract
As Wojnarowski notes, Johnson impressed through his two 10-day contracts and actually received offers from other teams worth more guaranteed money. However, Johnson decided to stay put with the Nets, who have NBA championship aspirations this year.
Johnson was originally a 2018 second-round draft pick by the Indiana Pacers out of Missouri State. The 24-year-old spent the start of 2021 with the Toronto 905 in the NBA G-League, where he averaged 16.6 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 57.0-percent from the field through 15 games, per the NBA G-League’s official website. Johnson went on to sign his first 10-day contract on March 22.
In his debut game for the Nets on March 24, Johnson notched a double-double off the bench with 23 points (11-of-15 from the field) and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of playing time in their 118-88 loss to the Utah Jazz. Through his six games with the Nets thus far, Johnson is averaging 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds all while shooting 65.7-percent from the field.
The Nets liked what they saw in Johnson through six games and decided a multi-year contract was worth the investment.