Joe Johnson is currently on his fourth NBA team and next season he may be on his fifth. Joe Johnson came into Brooklyn as part of the new powerhouse the Nets tried to construct. Unfortunately that plan fell apart real quickly. Deron Williams became a shell of himself, Paul Pierce left for Washington, Brook Lopez was hurt, and Kevin Garnett was eventually traded to Minnesota. Brooklyn needs to rebuild on the fly and one of their few valuable pieces is the enormous contract of Joe Johnson.

Just a couple seasons ago the media and my personal friends were hyping up Brooklyn as a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. I never saw it. The fit was awkward and Jason Kidd never coached an NBA team. Something about this team never sat right. They were old. They played isolation basketball in a time where the game was changing. Everyone needed the ball. It was a front office hoping that sticking a bunch of guys past their primes would lead to success and it failed. While the Brooklyn Nets have advanced to the second round of the playoffs the team has only gotten worse since then and they’ve paid a heavy luxury tax for it. There have been whispers around the league that the Nets are looking to shed salary. Deron Williams has virtually lost all of his value so that leaves Joe Johnson, Mason Plumlee, and Bojan Bogdanovic as the only tradeable assets. Trading Plumlee or Bogdanovic would be a huge mistake. Both are still young and can grow into valuable assets. But Plumlee has dropped out of the rotation for the Nets and perhaps will be packaged in some deal with Johnson.

Joe Johnson is set to make nearly 25 million next year, one of the NBA’s highest salaries. Johnson is still a productive player and can help a team but the Nets have a payroll that is unacceptable based on their record. His three point shooting has dipped for the 2014-15 season but Johnson improved his rebounding and assist numbers from the 2013-14 season. Sure, Johnson’s PER is just over half of what it was during his peak form but lets not forget that Johnson has been stuck on a Brooklyn team lacking any offensive ingenuity. Even his Atlanta teams relied too much on isolation plays. Johnson is still top 25 in isolation points in the league while posting a 20.5% usage rate. He’s doing this while being on a team with several other players needing the ball in their hands in order to be successful (Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack). What if Iso Joe started playing team basketball? Joe Johnson has an invaluable skill in the NBA, he can create his own shots especially in crunch time. Several teams need a player like this. But if Johnson was finally put in the right scenario where he only needs to create offense when plays break down, perhaps he can reinvent his game. It’s been years since Johnson was part of a team that pushed team play (think back to his Phoenix days). Johnson has had to deal with an unfair offensive burden almost everywhere he has gone. If Johnson is suddenly reduced to only having to make a few plays every game, perhaps his efficiency will rise.

Johnson has shown over his career that he cannot handle being the top guy. His three point shooting is inconsistent and so is his defense. But Johnson is long, can play either wing position, and is still one of the most clutch players in the league. Johnson needs a change of scenery just as bad as the Nets do. The Nets need to resign two of their key free agents this summer, Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. Both are expected to opt out this summer. The Nets don’t have their draft picks for a couple years so bottoming out is out of the question. But Brooklyn can focus on getting younger and becoming an exciting team in the mid time. Lopez became a force in the paint this season and Young is good enough to keep at the right price. If the Nets get rid of Johnson they can focus their rebuild on Young, Lopez, Bogdanovic, and Plumlee. The Nets also have a couple other young guys they need to see more out of to really assess. The Nets were one of the most boring teams last season and if they can trade Johnson and focus on players that need the ball in their hands less at least they can become exciting again while still competitive in the weak Eastern Conference.

So where to send Johnson? The Detroit Pistons are a team looking to become better without perhaps having the best assets. The Pistons could use a veteran scorer like Johnson. They could offer a package of Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, Cartier Martin, and a second rounder for Johnson. In this scenario the Nets lower their team salary by nearly 12 million and in doing so lower any luxury tax. The Nets would also receive a starting caliber shooting guard in Meeks. The Pistons could also substitute Brandon Jennings for Meeks in this trade but Jennings is coming off a serious injury and the Nets may not want another isolation heavy player on the team. Johnson would help Detroit become a more threatening team. If Detroit trades for Johnson and resigns Greg Monroe, a starting line up of Reggie Jackson, Joe Johnson, Andre Drummond, and Greg Monroe is suddenly intimidating. Another great thing about this trade is that a backcourt consisting of Jackson, Jennings, and Johnson could either be a disaster or the greatest thing ever. Jodie Meeks is a nice player but he’s barely a starter in this league. Johnson could make the plays that Jackson could not.

Another interesting scenario would be Johnson and Plumlee to Memphis for Vince Carter, Jeff Green, Jordan Adams, and a second rounder. The Nets would receive a starting small forward who hasn’t worked out for Memphis, a savvy veteran, and a young prospect with potential. Memphis would finally have another player to make those big shots they lack. Johnson could also help them spread the floor in the right line ups. Memphis would also receive a new backup big man behind Marc Gasol. Although an unlikely scenario since this would most likely push Memphis into the luxury tax, it would be a fun trade and provide Memphis would that additional scoring it so desperately lacks. Brooklyn could also send Johnson to Dallas for Devin Harris, Raymond Felton, and Dwight Powell but this trade would leave Dallas with no point guards and this would be a mere salary dump for Brooklyn.

Joe Johnson can still contribute plenty to the right team. He has never really been on the right team and has only played for one great coach. Johnson is a risk worth taking, especially with the asking price most likely not being high. Johnson and Brooklyn need a divorce and this could be one of those rare moments where both parties actually benefit from the loss.