Opting In a No-Brainer for Stanley Johnson
The upcoming 2020 NBA offseason is going to be one of the strangest in league history. There's still no certainty regarding the salary cap situation for next season and a start date for next year remains up in the air.
Once the cap situation is worked out — it should reportedly be around $109 million according to The Athletic's John Hollinger — both players and teams will have to work out their contract options for next year.
This will be pretty easy for the Toronto Raptors. Stanley Johnson is the only player on the team with an option for 2020-21, a $3.8 player option that he will certainly pick up.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri hasn't made very many mistakes in his Toronto tenure. He's become one of the league's best executives by making shrewd decisions, savvy draft picks, and brilliant trades. However, signing Johnson to a one-plus-one worth over $7.4 million total was not one of his finer moves.
Last season Johnson played in 25 games, averaged six minutes a game with 2.4 points per game. He shot just 37% from the field and saw just 20 minutes of playoff action, most of which came in the Raptors blowout Game 4 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
With the salary cap taking a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic most players are expected to opt into their contracts to avoid entering the market on a down year. That, coupled with Johnson underperforming his contract last year make opting in a no brainer for the 24-year-old forward.
