Pelicans Free Agency: Which players should New Orleans bring back?

Stanley Johnson – Restricted

Should he be brought back?: Maybe

This is a tricky one. Stanley Johnson will only be 23 years old when next season tips off, so he’s young enough for the Pelicans to invest in as they look to the future. However, it’s not really a secret at all that Johnson hasn’t quite lived up to his 8th overall draft selection in 2015.

Johnson can’t really shoot from anywhere. He’s not a great creator, either. Generally speaking, he’s pretty severely limited on the offensive side of the ball. And there aren’t really too many signs of improvement in these areas over his now 4 years of NBA action.

Still, if the deal is right, the Pelicans might offer him a small 1 or 2 year contract just to see if he can get anything going at all. Like Diallo, Johnson is restricted, so New Orleans controls his destiny next season.

Johnson does still possess the tools to be a solid defender in the league, so if no other competitors come out of the woodwork to offer him anything more than a few million dollars, look for the Pelicans to bring him back for a second chance. If his value creeps into the $5 million or more range, it might be time to let Stanley try his luck elsewhere.