Toronto Raptors interested in re-signing Boucher despite benching him for over a month: report
The Toronto Raptors are facing a pivotal decision with their longest-tenured player this summer.
Outside of one game with the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18, pending free agent Chris Boucher has spent his entire NBA career in Toronto.
But despite being the last remaining member of the 2019 title-winning team, Boucher has picked up 25 “did not play” designations this year, while being listed as inactive for three others.
With no injuries listed, Boucher hasn’t suited up since Feb. 26 and could go nearly the final two months of the season without playing, despite being the team’s leading point-getter off the bench this season, averaging 10 points per game this year.
Boucher has met with the franchise multiple times about his current and future role with the team, with the front office and coaching staff reiterating that it’s nothing personal but simply a matter of getting many of their younger players pivotal reps off the bench.
The unwritten context is that the Raptors have a known commodity in Boucher, with younger players having the added bonus of potentially helping the team slide down the NBA Draft Lottery standings.
And despite the Raptors not playing Boucher for well over a month now, that doesn’t appear to affect his future in Toronto.
“According to multiple sources: there is mutual interest in having Boucher return for his eighth season in Toronto,” per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange.
Boucher is on the final year of a three-year deal worth US$35.2 million.
“There’s conversations that have been made, and for now, it’s about finishing the year,“ Boucher told Grange. “Obviously, I have a great relationship with the Raptors, so we’ll wait to see what the conversation is going to be in the summer.”
Should the Raptors aim to be competitive next season, a player like Boucher would reason to be valuable to that goal.
While we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds, it seems possible that we may not have seen the last of him in a Raptors uniform after all.
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