Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal to join the Toronto Raptors according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Free agent Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year, $7.5M deal with the Toronto Raptors, with a player option in the second season, agent Nima Namakian of BDA Sports tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2019
After seeing Kawhi Leonard stun the NBA world by going to the Los Angeles Clippers and bringing MVP candidate Paul George with him, the Raptors had a huge void to fill on the wing. Johnson averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds between the Pistons and the Pelicans last season.
The former Pelican’s wing has been stout on the defensive side of the ball. He finished 11th in defensive real-plus minus among forwards last season, according to ESPN.com.
The problem for the former lottery pick has always been on the offensive side of the ball. Johnson has never developed an offensive game and continues to struggle to shoot the ball from the perimeter.
Johnson will get a fresh start in Toronto that could help him grow. At only 23-years-old he is not a finished product and still could develop offensively. Toronto is coming off an NBA championship and has been great at developing talent in their system. A prime example of the development the Raptors are capable of is the current NBA’s Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam, who is two years older than Johnson.
For the Raptors, this is a low-risk, high reward signing that helps them maintain a defensive identity while looking to help him make improvements offensively. For Johnson, if he is able to grow his game and flourish under the Raptors organization, he will still have the ability to maximize his worth in free agency down the road.
