Pelicans: Why the Pels should definitely re-sign James Johnson

The New Orleans Pelicans had an up and down season that left fans frustrated and wanting more.

But it wasn’t all bad, there were a few success stories within the disappointment, including the rise of Zion Williamson to superstar, the consistency of Brandon Ingram and the development of players like Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

One of the smaller success stories was the play of James Johnson, who came in the  J.J. Redick trade and really wasn’t expected to do much.

Instead, he ended up as part of the rotation, played pretty well and made a strong case for himself for a future roster spot on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Here are three reasons they should definitely try to re-sign James Johnson.

New Orleans Pelicans: James Johnson should have a low-cost contract

James Johnson made $14 million this season in the final year of his deal, but I doubt he’ll ever get close to that again.

Johnson is now 33-years-old, missed a fair amount of time with injury and is probably looking at a veteran’s minimum contract next season.

He is in a similar situation as Jeff Green, who has had a nice season for Brooklyn after signing a vet’s minimum deal. Someone might pay more for Johnson, but I can’t see the market being too robust, so if the Pelicans want him he’ll probably be cheap.

The Pelicans aren’t going to have much cap space one way or another depending on what happens with Lonzo Ball and the rest of their free agents.

Johnson definitely won’t be a top priority in the free agent market, so the Pels should be able to make him a modest offer after they have settled all of their other business.