NBA Rumors: Miami May Have Just Changed Plans For Expensive Forward Next Season

James Johnson of the Miami Heat was initially said to be among the players the Miami Heat planned to trade this coming NBA season. A prime reason for that is because he owns a hefty paycheck and owed roughly $30 million until 2020-21. But it appears things have changed recently with the 32-year-old forward is out to prove detractors wrong.

Johnson was part of Isaiah Thomas' sixth annual Zeke End tournament at the Tacoma Community College last weekend, part of the former NBA star's drive to raise funds for the Isaiah Thomas Family Giving Fund, Jon Manley of The News Tribune reported. Aside from Johnson, other NBA stars who were around included Derrick Rose, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Jamal Crawford, Marquese Chriss, Terence Ross, Kevin Porter Jr., Jaylen Nowell, Kelly Oubre, Aaron Brooks and Nate Robinson.

From the set of names alone, it would be hard to initially see Johnson standing out. However, coming in with a slimmer frame and showing the results of his efforts to expand his game, the 6-foot-8 cager showed some sharp shooting from the outside and some nifty drives to the delight of fans. Some highlights were shared by Ballislife.com via its Twitter account.

It remains to be seen, however, if Johnson can do the same once the 2019-20 NBA seasons starts. He is coming off a poor season and has every reason to try and bounce back after a so-so year with the Heat. Known to be a good defender and flexible offensive option, he could turn out to be a revelation for head coach Erik Spoelstra as Miami is looking for other players to provide new recruit Jimmy Butler ample support.

Seeing how Butler is expected to carry much of the scoring load, Johnson will likely be tasked to anchor everything on the defensive end. A bounce-back year could strike him off that list of Heat players up for trade as the franchise studies its investment moving forward.

In a previous post, Johnson was among four players mentioned as possibly being on the trading block. The others were Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, and Dion Waiters. So far, Whiteside is the only one who exited and is now with the Portland Trail Blazers. Dragic was on the verge of getting traded before the Dallas Mavericks pulled back.