The New Orleans Pelicans have declined to extend a qualifying offer to 6-foot-7 forward Stanley Johnson.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the move will now allow the Pelicans to have some $28 million in space. Johnson, meanwhile, will likely be eyed by several teams.
Sources: The Pelicans have declined to extend a qualifying offer to forward Stanley Johnson, making him an unrestricted free agent. Johnson, 23, is a strong defender and will receive interest from several teams. Allows Pelicans to now have upwards of $28M in open space.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2019
The 23-year-old Johnson was the eighth overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent four and a half seasons with the team and was included in their playoff roster in 2016. He quickly rose as a capable defender. He even famously quipped that he's in LeBron James' head during their first-round matchup in the 2016 playoffs. Dwane Casey, who was named the Pistons' coach last season, believes that Johnson is the best defender for James.
Casey: "Stanley Johnson is the best matchup for No. 23 in Cleveland that there is."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 20, 2018
Before the trade deadline of the 2018-2019 season, Johnson was sent to the Pelicans three-team trade involving the Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. He played a mere 18 games with the Pelicans as the roster was already filled with forwards.
In his five-year career so far, Johnson is averaging 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 steals across 21.9 minutes of play. We should expect Johnson to receive offers from various teams. While he may not light up the stat sheets, he's a capable and confident defender — something that will be an asset to any team vying for the title.
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