Cam Johnson returning to the Phoenix Suns, it is an interesting idea we have already put forward this offseason. The Denver Nuggets are staring into financial disaster thanks to their roster construction, and Johnson looks like the odd man out.
But a reunion with one of the most beloved former members of the franchise, while great in theory, would only end one way.
Johnson's injury issues would take shine away from first Valley stint
To date there have been no rumors from trusted sources about Johnson returning to Phoenix, only the hopeful social media posts of those that say he would be intrigued by the idea.
But even if it could happen, Johnson has sadly become too injury-prone since leaving the Suns to be the kind of secondary scorer they need next to Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
In theory the fit is great and he is a clear upgrade over Grayson Allen, but you have to be on the court to make a difference. He has not played more than 58 regular season games in his three full seasons since leaving, while the year he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Kevin Durant deal he had appeared in only 17 games.
On the plus side he did flirt with being a 20 point a night guy with the Nets (18.8 a night in 2024-25, while he was a scorching 43 percent from deep playing over 30 minutes a night for the Nuggets this season.
The issue with that? Johnson was limited to only 54 games played, although he did bounce back in the postseason and managed to up his minutes on the court each game slightly. If the Suns were getting the 30-year-old back for cents on the dollar in a deal that also made financial sense then you could understand it.
Booker's best times in Phoenix are linked to Johnson, while at 30-years-old he is a win now player. Which is what the Suns are going to have to be to keep Booker engaged. But his lack of availability and the fact he would come off the bench (at least until the organization decides what they're doing with Green) are clear reasons not to do this.
In the end he would be welcomed back with open arms, only to take the shine away from his first stint with the team as a result of being injured. A sweet idea, but the wrong one.
