In fact, his chances of making the Boston Celtics roster before the 2014-15 regular season are slim. Johnson's non guaranteed contract will likely be waived when the Celtics are forced to trim its 18-man roster down to 15 before the start of the season.
However, Johnson's agent told CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely that he is "cautiously optimistic" about Johnson staying in Boston.
"So far, everything has been positive," said Marc Cornstein (Johnson's agent) "We're well aware of the roster additions. He has a great relationship with the Celtics organization and the coaching staff and as I said, everything we have heard thus far has been positive so we're cautiously optimistic about his future with the Celtics" [CSNNE.com]Johnson was initially signed to a 10-day contract last season but after displaying great hustle, shooting and consistency, he was signed for the remainder of the season and later inked a three-year, $2.22 million contract. Still, none of the years are guaranteed.
Celtics also have two other players without guaranteed contracts, Keith Bogans and Chris Babb.
It's tough to predict the offseason of a rebuilding franchise. Celtics fans everywhere can relate to the transactions they liked, hated and didn't see coming throughout the 90's into the 2000's era. Johnson is a player who we could see in the NBA a few years later and wish we kept or could be another player we never see or hear from again, who knows? But Johnson was certainly a bright spot for the Celtics last season and it would be great to see him start a second season in green this fall.
One easy way for the Celtics to keep Johnson would be to make a trade to free up roster space. There have been reports that the Celtics have tried very hard to deal Brandon Bass but haven't been offered anything of value. Grantland's Zach Lowe reported that the Celtics have been relentless in trying to trade Bass this summer, and were in talks with Golden State earlier in the offseason but both sides never came close to an agreement.
If the Celtics eventually do move on without Johnson, it shouldn't be hard for the youngster to find a place in the NBA. He's proven to be a hard nosed asset with potential of blossoming into an everyday player in this league.
"It's a little bit of a double-edged sword," said Cornstein. "One one hand, it is challenging anytime there's uncertainty rather than security. But in Chris' case, he's proven himself already. Frankly, I have no worries about Chris. Things are going to work out well for him; I really believe that."The 24 year-old averaged six points, two rebounds and 19.7 minutes in 40 games last season.
Josue Pavon
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