NBA Trade Rumors: Cam Johnson Was Made Off Limits by Suns in Kevin Durant Talks

The Phoenix Suns have a ton of confidence in emerging 26-year-old forward Cam Johnson, so much so that they didn't have any intentions of including him in a trade for one of the best players in the NBA.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Suns "remained steadfast that Johnson was off limits" during trade discussions over the summer with the Brooklyn Nets for former NBA MVP Kevin Durant.

Johnson is a promising young player, but keeping him out of discussions about a trade for Durant is a surprising decision. The 12-time All-Star reportedly had identified the Suns as one of his preferred destinations when he requested to be traded from the Nets in June.

A trade for Durant would have been complicated, especially considering his four-year, $194.2 million contract extension kicks in this season. Suns general manager James Jones said last month that there was "not much discussion, in-depth discussion" between Phoenix and Brooklyn. Durant and the Nets eventually agreed to move forward together this season.

Johnson established himself as one of the better bench scorers in the NBA last season, averaging 12.5 points while shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range in 66 games with only 16 starts. Entering his fourth year in the league, the sharpshooter is eligible for an extension and Fischer stated that the Suns had hoped to re-sign him to a deal "in the ballpark of four years and $72 million."

As part of the team's commitment to its younger players, Phoenix is seeking a trade for veteran forward Jae Crowder, who mutually agreed to part ways with the team with one year remaining on his contract. While Johnson is a more reliable scorer than Crowder, he will have to make more of an effort on the other end of the floor if he hopes to replicate Crowder's defensive prowess.

Johnson will have every opportunity to prove the Suns made the right decision to hold on to him this year. The Suns open their season against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 19.