The Heat have decided to match the four-year, $50 million offer sheet Tyler Johnson had signed with the Nets and will retain the 24-year-old guard, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Tyler Johnson returns to Miami after the Heat match a 4-year, $50 million offer sheet
The Heat decided to match the Nets’ offer and retained the talented young guard.
Johnson had a breakout season with the Heat as a sophomore. He averaged nine points, three rebounds and two assists on 24 minutes a game. He played both guard spots and continued to improve as a shooter, connecting on 38 percent of his three-point attempts. He generally seemed to make the team better when he was on the court, a great quality for any young guard to have.
A shoulder injury ended Johnson's season in February, but the great impression he made early on was enough to convince the Nets to sign him to an offer sheet worth $50 million. Because Johnson was an "Early Bird" free agent, the Heat had to think long and hard before matching it, as Johnson's contract will start out at the $5 million range on the first two years only to grow to $19 million in the final two. It was the same type of contract that the Rockets used to pry Jeremy Lin away from the Knicks in 2012.
The Heat decided Johnson was too valuable to lose and matched the offer. They had the money and a hole in the rotation at guard after letting Dwyane Wade walk in free agency, so it makes sense for them to have done so. It could still be a tough contract to accommodate later on in their cap sheet, but if Johnson continues to grow as a player and becomes a member of Miami's young core, he could be worthy of the vote of confidence he's just received.
The Nets had also made a substantial offer to Trail Blazers' wing Allen Crabbe that was matched. They now have in excess of $30 million in cap room but not a lot of intriguing targets to chase.
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