Toronto Raptors sit Boucher, Olynyk as trade deadline nears
The Toronto Raptors have some tough decisions to make ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
And on Friday night, they appeared to be not to be taking any chances with the basketball gods.
Despite Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic saying pregame that pretty much all of the team’s active roster — outside of Jamal Shead — would be available for their contest against the Chicago Bulls, two notable veterans found themselves on the bench for the evening.
In a loss that snapped the team’s surprise five-game winning streak, their longest under Rajakovic in his two seasons in Toronto, neither Chris Boucher nor Kelly Olynyk saw any action on the night, the only two players not to check in for the team.
Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but Olynyk and Boucher look like two of the Raptors players most likely to be traded this season.
Given that Boucher’s last game not playing was on January 6, the timing does appear to suggest the Raptors may be sitting Boucher in order to keep his health steady ahead of a possible trade.
“I just wanted tonight to give more room for [rookie] Ja’Kobe [Walter] and then have him there to play more minutes as a young player trying to develop,” Rajakovic explained postgame of Boucher’s absence.
Olynyk, meanwhile, had been dealing with a right calf strain this week, but was cleared pregame for the night. He had played every game from December 12 through January 23rd, so his absence being a coach’s decision is also fairly notable.
“Kelly was available tonight,” Rajakovic added. “Since we have Orlando [Robinson] on a 10-day contract, we wanted to continue to see what he can bring to us.
Are the Raptors trading Boucher or Olynyk?
While both players have been attached to trade rumours recently, it’s far from a sure thing they’ll be on the move.
Both players carry a pretty similar cap hit: Boucher’s at $10.8 million (expiring this summer), while Olynyk is being paid $12.8 million (expires after the 2025-2026 season).
With a combined 1176 games in their NBA careers (399 for Boucher and 777 for Olynyk), NBA scouts should have a pretty good idea of what each player could bring to a new team.
Boucher is averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 42 games while playing a little over 17 minutes a night, while Olynyk has put up 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in a little over 15 minutes per game. If either player does end up on the move, they’re likely slotting late in the rotation of a team looking to beef up ahead of the postseason.
In any case, with just six days to go to the trade deadline, we’ll soon have an answer on what the future holds for these two Raptors vets.
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