First reported by Shams Charania and later confirmed by NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson, the Chicago Bulls are adding Stanley Johnson to their roster in the wake of multiple players entering the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.
The Bulls were immediately eligible to sign an extra player via the league’s hardship exception after Matt Thomas joined Coby White, Javonte Green, and DeMar DeRozan in protocols Wednesday morning.
Can confirm the Bulls are signing Stanley Johnson via a hardship exception, per source, which @ShamsCharania had 1st. Johnson may not join team until Miami.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 8, 2021
The Chicago Bulls are signing forward Stanley Johnson out of NBA G League’s South Bay Lakers via hardship exemption, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Johnson went to training camp with the Bulls.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 8, 2021
Johnson arguably makes the most sense for the Bulls at this time. The 25-year-old spent training camp and preseason with the team, and many believed he would be in the mix for one of the organization’s final roster spots. However, instead, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley opted for Alize Johnson and Matt Thomas to round out the 15-man group. The second two-way contract next to Devon Dotson then went to frontcourt player Tyler Cook.
While Johnson has since been playing with the South Bay Lakers of the G-League, he should come to Chicago with a better understanding of the team’s system than most. Likewise, he can help make up for at least some of the defensive versatility lost with the absence of Alex Caruso (currently out with a hamstring injury) and Javonte Green.
Since entering the league in 2015, Johnson has been a serviceable talent on the defensive end, but his offense is what has kept him from finding a long-term home. Fortunately, the Bulls shouldn’t have to ask for nearly anything from him on that side of the ball. In fact, with White and Green possibly rejoining the team next week, it’s unclear whether or not Johnson will ever actually see the floor for the Bulls. But it’s good to know the team now has an extra and experienced body (371 career games) if needed.