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Raptors decline John Lucas III's contract option

Masai Ujiri made his first roster move as Raptors general manager Friday morning, declining the option on John Lucas III's contract.

USA TODAY Sports

Despite not making any noise during last night's NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors made a somewhat surprising move this morning, declining the option on John Lucas III's contract, making him a free agent.

Originally signed to be the third point guard on the team last year, Lucas became the primary back up when Jose Calderon was traded to Detroit. His season statistics of 5.3 points, 1.7 assists and 1 rebound per game don't jump out at you, but the work he did after the trade was solid, considering his limitations as a shorter scoring guard.

Lucas was a welcomed addition to the locker room -- a guy who almost always had a smile on his face. He was a pleasure to cover and -- as I'm sure you all remember -- he was gracious enough to spend an afternoon with us, allowing us to film this feature:


As the Sun's Ryan Wolstat is reporting, it is likely that Lucas will join the Bulls, backing up Derrick Rose. There were rumblings around the trade deadline that Chicago wanted Lucas back and now it looks like they will finally get their chance to nab him.