You don’t have to be Canadian to play for the Toronto Raptors. But it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Kelly Olynyk, who was born in Scarborough, Ontario, and played his ball after seventh grade in Kamloops, British Columbia, joined the Raptors after a trade with the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline. trades.
He is the second high-profile Canadian acquired by Toronto this season, joining RJ Barrett, who grew up in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, in a trade with the New York Knicks.
Toronto gave up a 2024 first-round pick to get Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji (from Kansas City, which is not in Canada). The Raptors immediately was clear they wanted the soft-shooting, pass-first big man to stick around, as a floor stretcher and veteran leader.
Olynyk was on the same page. “I would love to be here for the rest of my career,” Olynyk told reporters immediately after the trade. “I hope it happens.”
Both sides secured an extension quickly and seemingly easily. Olynyk signed for the most Toronto could offer him, which translates into a small increase in his $12.2 million salary and keeps him there until his 35th birthday.
Olynyk has averaged 9.6 points off the bench for Toronto so far, playing 20.7 minutes per game as Toronto seeks a play-in spot. But this extension shows Toronto views him as an important part of the team going forward, as well as a man who understands the metric system and how to eat poutine.
Toronto also has Chris Boucher, a Canadian center from Santa Lucian, signed for 2024-25. The Raptors may not end up in the playoffs this year, but now more than ever, they are Canada’s team.
