How does former UNC basketball star fit with his new NBA team?
Cam Johnson on getting traded to Denver per, @MikeAScotto 'I'm excited to compete for a championship. It's a new beginning.'LETS WORK !!🏆 pic.twitter.com/E7UHYKmtGM
NBA free agency is off to a wild start, headlined by moves like Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, but one of the most recent moves involves former UNC basketball standout Cameron Johnson.
Transferring to North Carolina ahead of the 2017-2018 college basketball season, Johnson played two years in Chapel Hill. After a career-best fifth year during the Tar Heels' 2018-2019 campaign, in which Johnson averaged career-highs across nearly every statistic, the Minnesota Timberwolves took him 11th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Minnesota then traded Johnson to the Phoenix Suns, where he played until 2022. Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2023, then traded again to the Denver Nuggets two years later – on June 30.
Johnson is playing for his third team in seven seasons, but Denver is the best fit of Johnson's successful NBA career. Johnson goes from an NBA team that hasn't won a playoff game since 2021, to one of the League's best teams which won the 2023 NBA Finals.
Per a conversation with Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto, Johnson said he's "Excited to compete for a championship. It's a new beginning."
Johnson joins a starting lineup that includes 2023 MVP Nikola Jokić, former Arizona Wildcats star Aaron Gordon, Kentucky standout Jamal Murray and Christian Braun, who helped Kansas come back to beat UNC in the 2022 National Championship.
The greatest assets Johnson brings to Denver are his perimeter shooting and ability to play anywhere on the floor.
Johnson is a career 39.2 percent shooter from deep, improving an already solid-shooting Nuggets team which shot 37.6% on regular-season 3-pointers – but struggled more at 34.7% in the postseason.
Johnson is officially listed as 6'8", which makes him an extremely versatile player for Denver. Though he primarily plays as a small forward, Johnson can also play as a tall two, power forward, undersized center or even run the point.
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