Bulls sign former lottery pick Stanley Johnson

The Bulls agreed to a deal with free agent forward Stanley Johnson, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). While Charania’s report doesn’t include contract details, a minimum-salary agreement seems likely.

Johnson, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, began his NBA career in Detroit before being traded to New Orleans in 2019. He then played for the Raptors for two years from 2019-21, earning a spot in the team’s regular rotation this past season.

Johnson’s 2020-21 numbers (4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, .382/.328/.800 shooting) in 61 games for Toronto don’t exactly jump off the page, but he proved he can be a useful depth piece at the NBA level by providing energy and defensive versatility off the bench.

A report last week linked Johnson to Brooklyn, noting that the veteran free agent had been working out around some Nets players and staffers. However, Brooklyn faces a roster crunch after reaching deals to sign Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge and acquiring Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor, so it would’ve been hard to find room for Johnson.

Instead, Johnson will join a Chicago team that only features 13 players on standard contracts, plus Devon Dotson on a two-way pact. We’ll have to wait for the terms on the 25-year-old’s deal to get a better idea of how he fits into the Bulls’ plans, but for now he looks like a good bet to claim a spot on the club’s 15-man regular-season squad.