Chicago — The Chicago Bulls addressed a need in the frontcourt Monday when they reportedly agreed to deals with free-agent forwards Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson.
The 6-foot-6 Stanley Johnson, the No. 8 pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, is a versatile defender capable of guarding multiple positions, which should bolster the Bulls’ wing depth.
The Athletic reported the deal with Stanley Johnson, who appeared in 61 games (13 starts) for the Toronto Raptors last season, averaging 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 38.2% from the field.
Alize Johnson agreed to a two-year, $3.6 million contract with the Bulls, according to ESPN. The 6-7 power forward, a second-round pick by the Indiana Pacers in 2018, averaged 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot 58.8% from the field last season with the Brooklyn Nets.
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The Bulls missed out on their top frontcourt targets last week when Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge both signed with the Nets. So they pivoted to Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson, who don’t have nearly the offensive background of Millsap or Aldridge but should be tougher defenders.
The Bulls already have many scoring threats on their roster and needed more capable defenders to round out their revamped rotation.
Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson, both 25, become the sixth and seventh additions to a Bulls roster that will look almost completely different from recent seasons. They also added DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr. and Tony Bradley this summer via trades and free agency.