Following months of speculation regarding Cam Johnson’s — among others — availability in trade talks, general manager Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets opted to stay out of what turned out to be a hectic trade deadline.

Marks agreed to deal Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith this past December, but decided to continue evaluating the current roster over stockpiling young talent or future draft assets.

“We’re enjoying seeing some of these young guys develop and this roster continue to grow under Jordi [Fernandez’s] tutelage so I think for us it was like, just stay pat,” Marks said via a recent episode of The Bridge, an all-access series produced by the franchise itself. “We haven’t seen enough of some guys because they’ve been hurt and then, we made a few of our moves early on in the year.”

Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney, two of the Nets’ most impactful contributors, have both missed extended time this season due to injury. While both were designated to return following the All-Star break, neither has suited up since the Feb. 14-16 festivities.

Later in the segment, Marks addressed the once-constant flow of chatter surrounding Johnson.

“With Cam, there was a lot of interest in him, like there was a lot of interest in a lot of our guys,” he said. “But, we like Cam and I think Cam fits multiple different builds that we’re doing. He’s a voice of reason, he’s well respected within that locker room, he’s a pro’s pro. If people can learn from somebody, learn from Cam Johnson. That’s a great guy to pick up habits from.”

Through 42 appearances of his second full season in Brooklyn, Johnson has enjoyed career-high averages in points per game (19.1) and field goal percentage (48.5) for the 11th-placed Nets. Due to the aformentioned injury to Thomas, Johnson has stepped into the alpha role for Fernandez’s offense, and the results have been highly positive.

What happens to the Johnson-Brooklyn relationship in the future is anyone’s guess, but Marks’ praise could signal an extended stint for the 28-year-old sharpshooter.

Johnson and the Nets return to action at home tomorrow against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.