Bulls Rumors: Former Raptors Forward Stanley Johnson Agrees to Contract
Veteran forward Stanley Johnson reportedly is signing with the Chicago Bulls, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Johnson, 25, averaged 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.5 minutes per game for the Toronto Raptors last season, appearing in 61 total games (13 starts).
Johnson has never lived up to the hype that came along with being the No. 8 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2015 NBA draft. His best season came in the 2017-18 campaign, when he averaged 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
He has always been a good defender on the wing, but his outside shooting—29.8 percent from three for his career—has kept him from developing into the highly sought after three-and-D option, and he's never showed the ability to consistently generate his own offense or serve as a secondary playmaker.
The inability to offer much on the offensive side of the ball has seen him go from an intriguing prospect early in his career to one who was buried at the bottom of Toronto's rotation the past two seasons.
The highlight of his 2020-21 campaign was a 35-point, 10-rebound performance against the Bulls on May 13, so perhaps that showing stuck in the minds of Chicago's front office.
He'll have a battle on his hands to carve out a niche in Chicago, where Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic are the expected starters and Coby White, Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr. and Tony Bradley all figure to play major roles off the bench.
That leaves Johnson to battle with players like Troy Brown Jr. and Javonte Green for minutes.
