Stanley Johnson agrees to deal with Chicago Bulls

Former Arizona wing Stanley Johnson has agreed to a deal with the Chicago Bulls according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium.

Johnson joins the Bulls as a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

No details of the contract have been released, but it’s likely to be a minimum deal. The minimum NBA salary for a player of Johnson’s experience – he has played six seasons professionally – is about $2.1 million.

Johnson averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 61 games with the Raptors last season. He undoubtedly caught the attention of the Chicago front office in May when he scored a career-high 35 points against the Bulls.

Johnson should shore up Chicago’s front-court depth as the franchise looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Bulls have also added former Pac-12 wings DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball this offseason.

Chicago declined to resign former Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen, who joined the Cleveland Cavaliers last month.

At 25-years-old, Johnson is still trying to find his place in the NBA. Detroit selected the southern California native with the eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft, but he never panned out as the Pistons hoped.

His best season with Detroit came in 2017-2018, when he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds over 69 games including 50 starts.

Johnson was traded to New Orleans in February 2019, where he played sparingly.

The Raptors acquired the 6-foot-6 wing ahead of the 2019-2020 season, but he never developed into a significant role with Toronto.

A former five-star recruit out of Mater Dei High School, Johnson averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in his one year at Arizona. He was named 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and won the inaugural Julius Erving Award, given to the top collegiate small forward.