Joe Johnson will make his first trip to Atlanta as an opponent on Wednesday since he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets last July.

Johnson reflected on his decision to sign with the Hawks in 2004 and the team’s performance during his tenure.

“When I was in Phoenix and I was weighing my options on what I wanted to do, I looked at that Atlanta team and I knew we would be a young group, but in a few years we could be one of the best teams in the East,” Johnson told RealGM. “Every year we kept getting better until we were that playoff team that was trying to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. We had a great unit. Unfortunately, injuries hurt us every year in the playoffs and we just came up short of our goals, but I have some great memories there and like I said it’s going to be fun to go back.”

As for the game itself, Johnson is looking forward to the familiar surroundings, albeit in a different locker room.

“It’ll be great to see some old friends, some familiar faces,” said Johnson. “I’m sure it’ll be a little weird coming in the visiting locker room, but for the most part, it should be fun.”