Raptors decline John Lucas III's contract option

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.

Hearing Raptors unexpectedly decline option on John Lucas III, making him free agent July 1. Don't be surprised if PG ends up back w/Bulls

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 28, 2013

Will miss dealing with John Lucas III, great interview. A Casey favourite pushed aside. Surely will be back with Bulls DRose Thibs favourite

— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) June 28, 2013

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.