James Johnson
finally might see playing time Wednesday night when the Bulls face the Raptors in Toronto.
It just would come with the Raptors.
The Bulls traded the forgotten 2009 first-round pick to the Raptors for the Heat’s 2011 first-round pick, which the Raptors own from the
Chris Bosh
sign-and-trade. Sources said the Warriors, Heat and Raptors scouted Johnson extensively during his recent successful Development League stint.
After shedding Johnson’s $1.7 million salary, the Bulls now possess roughly $2.9 million of salary cap space and have stockpiled draft picks. Multiple sources said the Bulls continue to pursue perimeter shooting help in advance of Thursday’s trade deadline.
One source said talks with the Grizzlies regarding
O.J. Mayo
continue, although his $4.45 million salary would need to be matched and not fully absorbed into cap space.
The Bulls could add players like the Cavaliers’
Anthony Parker,
the Clippers’
Rasual Butler
or the Rockets’
Courtney Lee
merely for draft picks with their cap space. The Bulls also could wait until after the trade deadline to see if any prominent players get bought out, and then try to sign them with cap space.
“I consider JJ a little brother,”
Joakim Noah
said of the trade. “He wasn’t playing a lot. I wish him the best and hope he gets an opportunity to show what kind of player he is.”
‘Melo mood:
If the playoffs started now, the Bulls would face the Knicks and
Carmelo Anthony
in the first round.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take for them to gel, but that’s a good team,”
Derrick Rose
said. “They added veterans who are used to winning. We can’t wait to play them. We let two games slip against them, two games we were supposed to have.”
Said coach
Tom Thibodeau:
“They were strong before the trade. This makes them stronger.”
Layup:
AOL Fanhouse first reporter the Bulls had workouts for
Orien Greene, Jerome Dyson, Stephen Dennis
and
Matt Jannings
from the Development League early Tuesday.
