Suns, Johnson Go Seperate Ways

May 19, 1998 / 4:19 AM EDT / CBS/AP

The Phoenix Suns will renounce their rights to Kevin Johnson on July 1, opening up the possibility that the point guard will be in another uniform next season.

"Kevin was a tremendous contributor to this team and the community over the last 11 years," team president Jerry Colangelo said in a statement Monday. "We will be retiring his No. 7 in the short-term future to represent all he has done."

Said Johnson through the Suns: "I've been extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to play for one of the finest organizations in sports."

Despite the amicable language of the announcement, it has been understood for months that Johnson wouldn't return. The acquisition of Jason Kidd on Dec. 26, 1996, forced Johnson to play shooting guard or come off the bench.

He was paid $7 million for the 1996-97 season, and Colangelo talked him out of retirement last summer by giving him an $8.4 million, one-year contract.

But Johnson, 32, a three-time All-Star, was limited by injuries to 50 games and started 12. He averaged career lows of 9.5 points and 4.9 assists.

The Suns traded Larry Nance and Mike Sanders to Cleveland for Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin on Feb. 25, 1988, midway through his rookie season.

The team was reeling from a drug scandal and missed the playoffs at 28-54. But starting with Johnson's first full season, Phoenix won at least 53 games the next seven years and began a string of 10 consecutive playoff berths.

In his heyday, Johnson was the star of a wide-open offense that also featured Tom Chambers in a potent two-man game. He averaged more than 20 points and 10 assists from 1988-91 joining Nate Archibald, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players to do that three consecutive seasons.

Johnson scored his 13,000th career point on March 29 and finished the season with 6,687 assists to pass Archibald for 10th in NBA career totals.