Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said Sunday that Johnson won't be re-signed to a second 10-day deal after the veteran's contract expired Saturday, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports.
Udoka left the door open for Johnson to potentially rejoin the Celtics at a later date if the league awards the team another hardship exemption, but for now, the 40-year-old's unexpected return to the NBA will end after he made just one two-minute appearance with Boston on Dec. 22. The brief stint with the Celtics marked Johnson's first NBA action since the 2017-18 season, when he suited up in 55 games between the Rockets and Jazz.
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Celtics' Joe Johnson: Hits first bucket since 2018
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Johnson entered the game late and scored two points in Boston's 111-101 home win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old hardship signee hadn't scored an NBA bucket since May 26, 2018 as a Houston Rocket. Iso Joe entered the game with less than two minutes remaining and Boston nursing a 14-point lead. Hoopheads may remember that it was Boston who drafted Johnson in 2001 with the 10th overall pick.
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Celtics' Joe Johnson: Joins Boston via hardship
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Johnson signed a 10-day contract via hardship exemption with the Celtics on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Johnson, who was drafted by the Celtics 20 years ago, hasn't played in the NBA since 2017. The seven-time All-Star has most recently been dominating the BIG3, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the NBA, he will get another stint in the NBA. Wojnarowski reports that the 40-year-old is expected to be available for Boston when it faces Cleveland on Wednesday night.
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Joe Johnson: Waived by Pistons
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Johnson (Achilles) was waived by the Pistons on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Johnson signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Pistons in September, appearing in four preseason games with Detroit and averaging 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds across 14.8 minutes. The Pistons opted to go with a younger player in Christian Wood for their final roster spot. Johnson is dealing with an Achilles injury and will likely have to prove his health before getting an opportunity elsewhere.
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Pistons' Joe Johnson: Experiencing Achilles swelling
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Johnson is experiencing swelling in his Achilles, though a series of tests came back as negative for any structural damage, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.
Johnson underwent a series of tests on his Achilles on Monday, all of which came back clean for any structural damage. Due to the nature of the injury, there's a good chance coach Dwayne Casey will air on the side of caution with the veteran forward. He can be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's season opener against the Pacers.
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Pistons' Joe Johnson: Plays 20 minutes in Friday's win
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Johnson tallied just four points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 20 minutes during Friday's 109-105 preseason victory over Cleveland.
Johnson played 20 minutes off the bench for the Pistons but failed to cash in. The fact he was signed by the Pistons was questionable in itself and there is no reason to think he can have any value moving forward.
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Joe Johnson: Agrees to deal with Pistons
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Johnson agreed to a partially guaranteed contract with the Pistons on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Johnson last played NBA basketball two years ago, appearing in 55 games between Utah and Houston. He wasn't effective, scoring 6.8 points on 40.6 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from distance. Johnson spent this past year dominating the Big 3 league, though that's hardly a reason to have confidence in the 38-year-old having a comeback season. With the Pistons, he'll compete with the likes of Bruce Brown, Derrick Rose, Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway for minutes in the backcourt. He could also play some minutes at forward. Unless the Pistons open up a roster spot via trade, Johnson will be competing against Christian Wood for the final spot on the team.
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Joe Johnson: Drawing interest from Detroit
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The Pistons may be the frontrunner to sign Johnson, Noah Coslov of Sirius XM reports.
In an interview on Sirius XM, Frank Isola of The Athletic said he's heard Detroit is "the favorite to land Joe Johnson," who's attempting an NBA comeback after spending last season in the Big3 League. The 38-year-old was easily the best player in the 3-on-3 format, but it's unclear how much of a role he'll have in the NBA at this point in his career. If he were to sign with Detroit, the veteran would compete with Bruce Brown, Derrick Rose, Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway for minutes in the backcourt.
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Joe Johnson: To work out for NBA teams
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Johnson is planning on working out with the 76ers, Bucks and Nuggets, Marc J. Spears of ESPN reports.
Johnson has been named the MVP of the Big 3, and his team, the Triplets, is playing in the title game Sunday. He's leading the league in points (21.9) and assists (3.9) per game, and he's also top-5 in rebounds (7.5) and steals (1.1). Johnson last played in the NBA during the 2017-18 season, seeing 21.9 minutes per game while on both the Jazz and Rockets. In that time, he averaged 6.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Though he struggled shooting the ball (40.6 FG% and 27.6 3P%), it seems that NBA teams are still interested in what he may be able to provide.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Struggles in Wednesday's spot start
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Johnson produced five points (2-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt), five assists and three rebounds across 29 minutes in a 96-83 loss to the Kings.
Johnson drew the start with Trevor Ariza one of four first-unit players sitting for rest, but he couldn't get much going from the field. The 17-year veteran has been modestly involved save for a few games since arriving in Houston at the trade deadline, but his presence figures to expand during the first round of the postseason at a minimum with Luc Mbah a Moute out with a shoulder injury.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Will pick up start in finale Wednesday
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Johnson will enter the starting five for Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Kings, Rockets play-by-play announcer Craig Ackerman reports.
The Rockets are holding out eight regular contributors, including the likes of James Harden (ankle) and Chris Paul (rest). As a result, Johnson will be able to pick up the start and is essentially guaranteed to log more than 30 minutes barring an injury. Look for Johnson's overall production to see a fairly significant spike considering his playing time and usage will be way up for Wednesday's finale.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Four points in win
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Johnson added four points (2-6 FG, 0-3 3Pt) and three rebounds across 18 minutes during Houston's 96-94 win over Portland on Thursday.
The 36-year-old has only produced one game above the 20-point mark this year as it is becoming apparent that he is not much of a offensive threat anymore. Johnson is currently averaging 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 52 games played this season.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Fails to leave the bench Sunday
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Johnson was a healthy scratch Sunday, perhaps earning himself a rest day.
Johnson failed to see any court time Sunday after seeing limited action in the previous five games. He is a mere fringe rotation guy on his new team and holds no real value other than as a possible streaming option, but only when others around him are resting, which isn't very often.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Won't play Wednesday
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Johnson (illness) is out for Wednesday's contest against the Bucks, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Johnson missed Tuesday's contest against the Thunder due to an illness, which caused him to be initially listed as questionable for Wednesday's game. He's apparently still feeling too sick to play, however, and will sit the contest out. In his stead, Gerald Green could see solid minutes again, as he played 15 minutes Tuesday and posted six points and grabbed three rebounds.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Questionable Wednesday
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Johnson (illness) is questionable for Wednesday's contest against Milwaukee, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports.
Johnson was absent from Tuesday's contest against the Thunder as a result of an illness, which has apparently carried over in some capacity to Wednesday. If he ends up missing the game, Gerald Green could see rotational minutes off the pine once again. He played 15 minutes Tuesday, posting six points and three boards.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Listed as out Tuesday
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Johnson is listed as out Tuesday against Oklahoma City.
The news comes courtesy of the team's game notes, and while those are subject to change, at this point it looks as though Houston is preparing to be without the veteran. Look for official confirmation on Johnson's status at shootaround Tuesday morning.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Not available Tuesday
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Johnson won't be available for Tuesday's game against the Timberwolves, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Johnson still has yet to officially sign with the Rockets, so as expected, he won't be ready to take the court Tuesday. The Rockets play next on Wednesday vs. the Kings, though it remains to be seen if everything will be fully completed in time for Johnson to make his Rockets debut then. For that reason, we may have to wait until after the All-Star break for Johnson to play, but continue to monitor the situation for the time being.
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Rockets' Joe Johnson: Likely out Tuesday
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Johnson is yet to officially finalize his contract with the Rockets and will likely be held out of Tuesday's game against the Timberwolves, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
While Johnson announced his commitment to the Rockets on Saturday, the two sides have to wait until Tuesday for the deal to become official, so it's unlikely that Johnson will be available for the night's matchup with the Timberwolves in Minneapolis. The Rockets close out their pre-All-Star schedule by hosting the Kings on Wednesday, so Johnson could make his debut in that contest -- or, Houston could simply wait until after the break to insert the 36-year-old into the rotation.
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Joe Johnson: Officially bought out by Sacramento
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The Kings officially waived Johnson on Sunday, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The move was expected immediately after the Kings acquired Johnson on Thursday, given that the veteran wing is on an expiring contract and wouldn't have been in line for consistent minutes on a rebuilding squad. As a result, the Kings granted Johnson a buyout for the second time in three seasons. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Johnson has already committed to sign with the Rockets, with confirmation on that front from Houston likely to arrive Monday or Tuesday.
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Kings' Joe Johnson: Signing with Houston
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Johnson is expected to sign with the Rockets once his buyout with the Kings is complete, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Johnson, who was traded to the Kings on Thursday as part of a three-team deal, has been pursing a buyout. It appears he will get his wish to join a contender in the Rockets. It remains to be seen what type of role the veteran will have with the club, but he will presumably have a tough time finding minutes in an already loaded rotation.
