The Brooklyn Nets and former All-Star guard Joe Johnson have opened buyout negotiations, ESPN.com has learned.
Sources told ESPN.com that Johnson, after resisting buyout questions from reporters in recent weeks as the NBA's trade deadline approached, has been sold on the idea of making a late-season switch and joining a contender for the stretch run if he and the Nets can come to terms on a contract settlement.
A number of playoff teams, sources said, are already pursuing Johnson: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Oklahoma City and Toronto.