The Nets waived Joe Johnson, giving the veteran a chance to go to a contender and giving their own youth movement a kick-start.
“The Nets want to thank Joe for his many contributions to the team and the organization,” new Nets general manager Sean Marks said Thursday in a statement.
“Joe has been a quality professional since joining the Nets four years ago, was a valued member of three playoff teams, and provided many thrilling moments for his teammates and Nets’ fans. We wish him much success in the future.’’
The Nets thanked Johnson by letting him go, waiving him and buying him out. They will save $3 million by doing so. The 34-year-old veteran has been in the playoffs for eight straight seasons, and because Johnson was bought out before March 1, he’s eligible for a postseason roster and has a chance to make it nine in a row.
Sources told The Post that the Cavaliers, Celtics, Heat and Hawks have all expressed interest in Johnson, with ESPN reporting that the Rockets, Raptors and Thunder also are pursuing him.
Johnson struggled under fired coach Lionel Hollins but rebounded under interim coach Tony Brown. After averaging just 10.5 points on .350 shooting — and .302 from 3-point range — through New Year’s Eve, Johnson lifted that to 13.4 on .484 from the floor and .460 from deep in 25 games since. He averaged 16.0 points on .536 shooting, 5.7 boards and 4.3 assists in his final three games as a Net.
Letting Johnson go accelerates Brooklyn’s rebuilding process. The roster stands at 13 players (11 active) after Marks’ second move in just over a week on the job, having already bought out Andrea Bargnani.
Johnson’s minutes at small forward can be given to Bojan Bogdanovic, or eventually Rondae Hollis-Jefferson when the rookie is ready to return. Both are among the team’s young core that owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to see developed.
Johnson was the NBA’s second-highest-paid player at $24.9 million, money the Nets will desperately need this offseason. The Nets don’t have control of their own natural first-round pick until 2019, putting a premium on both developing the young talent that they do have — much of it wing talent blocked by Johnson — and also on being able to add free agents with their expected $40 million in cap space.
Still, a source close to the player said Johnson genuinely loves the area and enjoyed the bulk of his time as a Net. Even though the Nets won’t hold his Bird Rights, Johnson was comfortable in Brooklyn, so a reunion next season isn’t impossible if the team improves enough to lure him back.
“I’ve never ruled Brooklyn out. Coming back to Brooklyn, I’ve never ruled that out,’’ Johnson said recently. “I just said I want to play on a winning team, play for a winner. That’s pretty much it.”