Raptors 905: Toronto should sign Alize Johnson amid trade interest

While the Toronto Raptors try to repair the holes in the ship as they eye the postseason, Raptors 905 earned the top seed in the shortened G League playoffs, and the play of former No. 50 overall draft pick Alize Johnson is a huge reason why.

Johnson was fifth on the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game, but he led the bunch with an insane 13.3 rebounds per contest, all the while averaging 4.2 assists per game (third on the team) and 1.3 steals per game. He has done everything necessary to earn a shot with the NBA team.

If Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse decide to weirdly overlook his incredible production and not create a path for him to earn NBA minutes with the Raptors, he could end up being enticing trade bait, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.

O’Connor is reporting that the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets are all interested in adding Johnson to the roster. The Raptors need to do everything in their power to avoid the temptation to trade him and get him to the big league club ASAP, as he gives the Raptors that dose of pop that they need down in the paint right now.

How can Alize Johnson help the Toronto Raptors?

Toronto has two spots that can be used for two-way contracts, but Jalen Harris and Yuta Watanabe are currently filling them. While that fact means Johnson will have to be signed to a proper NBA deal in order to come up to the Raptors, Toronto should ignore that fact and get him a spot in the rotation.

Johnson checks all the boxes Nurse wants in a big man. He’s strong, able to run the floor, willing to extend his offensive face-up game near the 3-point line, and a masterful distributor. When paired with exceptional rebounding ability and intuition, Johnson would fit on this roster like a glove, as he could take minutes away from Aron Baynes and Stanley Johnson.

What really sets Johnson apart is his OG Anunoby-like versatility. Against teams that like to switch a lot, he is more than comfortable playing on the perimeter. With his tremendous ability to snare rebounds on the interior, playing as a small-ball center is not out of the question.

The Raptors are looking high and low for a player that can guard multiple positions and fix their rebounding issue, but they already have one on their books in Johnson. With the bench really struggling at the moment, Johnson should be kept around and given a chance to prove himself.