Tyler Johnson,Kelly Olynyk,Jonas Jerebko

Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) drives against Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk, left, and forward Jonas Jerebko, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Boston.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON -- Tyler Johnson revealed Friday night that the Boston Celtics tempted him with a contract offer during his rookie season but failed to lure him away from the Miami Heat.

Late in the 2014-15 season, Johnson's 10-day contract with the Heat expired. He had not established himself as an obvious rotation player, but the Celtics saw enough potential to offer more than a minimum contract. He could have finished out the season in Boston and at least gone to training camp with the team the following fall. Instead, he took a slightly smaller contract offer from Miami to stay with the Heat.

"I don't remember the exact numbers," Johnson told MassLive.com Friday before playing the Celtics, "but it was a little bit more than the minimum for the first year and then the second year was a minimum contract."

The difference in offers amounted to about $200,000, according to Johnson, who is enjoying a breakout year with averages of 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The lefty guard indicated the second season with the Celtics likely would have included a partial guarantee. He stuck with the Heat because they gave him his first NBA job.

"I stayed because they had given me the opportunity in the first place, but of course Boston would have been a great place to come play," Johnson said. "One, the tradition. Two, Coach (Brad) Stevens is one of the best coaches in the league. So yeah, there was definitely interest there. But I just wanted to stay loyal."

Interestingly, Boston was also indirectly impacted by Johnson's free agency this past summer. He signed a four-year offer sheet with the Brooklyn Nets, who owe two more first-round picks to the Celtics. Though Johnson would have upgraded the talent level in the Nets backcourt and maybe brought the team a few more wins, the Heat chose to match the offer and keep the guard under contract through the 2019-20 season.