Brisbane Targets NBA Forward

By Dan Woods - NBL Media

The signings of Aron Baynes and Tyler Johnson have turned Brisbane from mid-table fancy to genuine title contender. With one import spot left on their roster, the Bullets are looking to strike gold.

NBA veteran James Johnson is a player who is rumoured to be on Brisbane’s radar. Should he eventually sign and join forces with Baynes and T. Johnson, then the Bullets would have well over 1500 games of NBA experience to call on during the season.

Both Tyler and Johnson have extensive experience playing together, with the pair linking up in Miami between 2016 and 2019.

“He (J. Johnson) is obviously an NBA veteran who’s been getting it done for a really long time, and a real personality … he’s a guy for which [the Bullets] maintain interest,” NBL analyst Liam Santamaria said on Free Agency Market Watch.

“I’ve been saying they’ve been playing the waiting game, but in the meantime they’ve had a contract out to a guy who’s been playing in Europe and that hasn’t played out, so they’re turning their attention back to guys who may fall out of NBA training camps.

“They spoke to (former Perth Wildcat) James Ennis – he’s signed up in Europe again [so] that’s not going to happen. They’re looking at a few guys in the States and one of those is James Johnson.

“My understanding is the ownership group like the idea potentially of him coming in and playing small forward for the Bullets.”

Rumoured Brisbane Bullets target James Johnson boasts over a decade of top-level experience, turning out for nine different teams in his NBA career.

An already star-studded lineup means the Bullets may struggle to throw cash at the 35-year-old. 

“Nathan Sobey’s not cheap. Tyler Johnson’s not cheap. Aron Baynes is nowhere near cheap to have on your NBL roster,” Santamaria said.

“That puts the squeeze on when you start talking about salary cap.

“It’s not like they (the Bullets) have piles of cash to throw around and pull in whoever they want.

“Sometimes even in that situation you can strike gold if the moment is right, and that’s what they’re hoping.”