NBA players got paid in a major way this offseason. Whether it was Timofey Mozgov getting $64 million from the Lakers, Mike Conley grabbing $153 million from the Grizzlies, or Tyler Johnson (wait, who?!) signing for $50 million with the Heat, NBA teams weren't afraid to put the league's new salary cap to good use by paying guys significantly more than they would have made just one year ago. And in Johnson's case, there were actually two teams willing to pay him $50 million. The Nets signed the restricted free agent to an initial offer sheet before the Heat swooped in and matched it to keep him on their roster—even though the 8.7 points and 2.2 assists he averaged last season hardly made it seem worth their trouble.
No one was more surprised about the dollar amount attached to Johnson's name than Johnson himself. He did an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday and revealed that when he heard he was going to be making $50 million, he was so shocked that he barfed a few times.
"I threw up a couple of times when I heard the number go out there," he said. "I was in shock. I even lost a little bit of weight, because just the anxiety of going through that whole process and not knowing where I was going to be."
He also admitted he thought he was headed to Brooklyn until the Heat ultimately decided to pony up the dough to keep him. "I was like almost 100 percent sure I was going to end up in Brooklyn," he said. "But, yeah, it's an incredible feeling. And I'm excited to get back to work."
In case you're unfamiliar with Johnson—unless you're a Heat fan, you probably are—he went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2014 and spent parts of two seasons split between the D-League and the Heat making less than $900,000 each year. So can you really blame him for blowing chunks after getting a contract that will pay him 50 times (!) that?
