Raptors news: Draft bust let go, another ex-Raptor joins Celtics

After the Toronto Raptors used a second-round pick on the now-departed Dalano Banton in the 2021 NBA Draft, their selection was supplemented by taking Louisville guard David Johnson right after him with the No. 47 selection. After years of trying and failing to turn the poor-shooting guard into an NBA player, Masai Ujiri has officially given up.

Raptors 905 agreed to trade Johnson and a second-round pick to the Memphis Hustle for the right to Derrick Walton Jr. and Tremont Waters. Eagle-eyed Raptors fans will remember Waters as one of the COVID-19 replacement players Toronto signed in the 2021-22 season.

Johnson was a famously anonymous player in his Raptors career. An issue with his documentation keeping him from joining in all the festivities Banton and Scottie Barnes took part in before their rookie seasons. Throw into that poorly timed injuries and general iffy play, and Johnson scored as many points as you and I in the pros.

While Johnson proved to at least be an average G League player, there was no path to him even getting a call-up for the Raptors. This will give him a new chance and rid the Raptors of a second-round pick that didn’t work out. It appears the Jazz have won the Matt Thomas trade.

More Raptors news

• The Boston Celtics seem to have a thing for former Raptors bench players, as Svi Mykhailiuk agreed to a one-year contract with Brad Stevens’ squad in Massachusetts. The Celtics gave Justin Chamopagnie a deal last season following his Raptors release while also agreeing to a deal with a Raptors restricted free agent in Banton.
• Pascal Siakam announced the creation of a new $200,000 scholarship at the University of New Brunswick via his PS43 foundation. Siakam’s scholarship money will be allocated to Cameroonian students studying tech fields. This is one in a long list of positive contributions Siakam has made to the Canadian community.

More NBA news

• NBA official Eric Lewis retired at age 52 following a league investigation into his social media activity. Lewis was accused of operating burner accounts defending himself and other NBA referees from criticism. Lewis was a prominent official, as he helped officiate the Nuggets’ victory over the Heat in the NBA Finals.
• In an appearance on Patrick Beverley’s podcast, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hinted that despite Kyrie Irving’s gigantic $126 million contract in the offseason, Luka Doncic will remain the unquestioned leader and No. 1 scoring option on the team.