4 Toronto Raptors players that could be traded by the deadline
The whole country is asking the question: which Toronto Raptors players will stick around past the trade deadline?
While the franchise’s trade deadline may not be as exciting as in past years, there’s still a decent chance that one or more Raptors players will go on the move ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
A few players seem safe: recent first round-picks Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, and Ja’Kobe Walter all seem to be long-term pieces of the team’s core.
There’s an outside shot at flipping RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley; though it seems unlikely, the team would pull a trigger on the move a little over a calendar year past when they were first acquired.
But as the team currently sits 14th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings, four team veterans seem like the most likely candidates to move out of town.
Bruce Brown
Contract: $23 million (expiring this summer)
2024-25 stats: 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Perhaps no player on the current Raptors roster has dealt with more trade rumours since his arrival than Bruce Brown, who came over from Indiana last season as part of the Pascal Siakam trade.
But despite the constant rumours (and a lengthy injury that delayed his start to this season and affected his play at the end of the last one), Brown remains a Raptor at the time of writing.
A key piece of the 2023 Denver Nuggets championship squad, Brown remains at the forefront of most trade discussions around the team, even if the 28-year-old recently expressed his desire to remain in Toronto in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy and Matt Bonner on The Raptors Show.
Jakob Poeltl
Contract: $19.5 million (expires 2027)
2024-25 stats: 14.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists
The lone regular starter on the list, Jakob Poeltl’s second stint in Toronto hasn’t probably gone as smoothly as he’s liked from a team perspective.
It’s been nearly six years since Poeltl last suited up in a playoff game, but a change of scenery could see him slot in as a new backup or starting center in most lineups across the league.
While many fans still haven’t quite gotten over the impetus behind trading a first-round pick for Poeltl in the first place nearly three years ago during an underwhelming Raptors season, perhaps he could acquire a series of draft picks/young talent on his way out that would help ease that wound.
Chris Boucher
Contract: $10.8 million (expiring this summer),
2024-25 stats: 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists
In some sense, it’s hard to imagine a Toronto Raptors team without Chris Boucher because he’s been part of the franchise dating all the way back to 2018 and is the organization’s longest-tenured player.
Having played all but one of his NBA games with the organization, reports suggest that Boucher would be open to a contract extension with Toronto, which could rule him out of any trade opportunities.
But as far as energetic options off the bench, NBA teams could do worse than trading for the versatile Boucher, who is averaging his best offensive season since 2020-21 this year while playing 17.3 minutes per night.
Kelly Olynyk
Contract: $12.8 million (expires 2026)
2024-25 stats: 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Perhaps no player in franchise history has ever been more destined to play for the Raptors, with Kelly Olynyk’s roots of a dad who coached at the University of Toronto and a mom who formerly worked as the team’s scorekeeper.
But Olynyk’s value as an NBA veteran might be better suited for a team looking to compete for an NBA championship, with the 33-year-old still providing capable help mostly off the bench in Toronto.
Having already played for six NBA franchises, Olynyk is no stranger to a midseason move and could be set to depart from Toronto a mere 12 months after he joined the organization.