Photo: The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Once Kelly Olynyk was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Toronto Raptors, he knew he had to sign an extension with his hometown team.
Olynyk, 32, born in Toronto and moved to Kamloops, British Columbia, when he was a teenager, signed a two-year contract extension with the Raptors on Monday. Although the six-foot-11 center could have tested free agency this summer and possibly secured a longer or more lucrative contract, he opted to quickly enter into an extension to remain in Toronto.
“They traded for me, they wanted me here. Just to return the favor and show that I want to be here too,” said Olynyk, who was dealt to the Raptors on February 8. “I’ve wanted to be here since I was four years old so it’s special.
“I wanted to create that trust and that bond. Hopefully I can be here for the rest of my career.”
Details of Olynyk’s extension have not been announced, but ESPN reported it is a two-year contract worth $26.25 million.
He’s averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 20.4 minutes in 59 games this season with Utah and Toronto. He is expected to see more playing time, and therefore his stat averages increase, with starting center Jakob Poeltl missing indefinite time due to a dislocated finger.
“I think we have a lot of talent on this team, a lot of young talent, trying to find their way and their place in the league,” Olynyk said. “I bring my experience and versatility to help highlight these pieces and bring them all together.
“A little leadership and experience on and off the field, to help them grow.”
Olynyk averaged 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 22.5 minutes during his career with Boston, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Utah and Toronto. He was traded to the Raptors alongside guard Ochai Agbaji in exchange for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.
Knowing that Toronto general manager Bobby Webster and team president Masai Ujiri reached a deal to bring him home, Olynyk said negotiations over his extension went well.
“They traded for me and Ochai and they wanted us both to be here as pieces of the puzzle long term and that’s something I want to be a part of,” Olynyk said. “You always want to be somewhere people want you to be, right? That’s always a good thing.”
Olynyk is also the captain of Canada’s senior men’s team that will compete in the Paris Olympics this summer. He wanted the Raptors deal done so he could focus on the Olympics once the NBA season was over.
“That’s definitely been a big part of it as well, fixing that problem,” Olynyk said after the morning shootaround at the OVO Athletic Center in downtown Toronto. “Training camp starts a little bit before free agency, so to not have that on your plate and on your mind, just be able to play free and easy, and then obviously in the summer, just be able to practice, “To train and be present at the beginning, without complications, is an important factor.”
Toronto also announced Tuesday that it has signed guard Jahmi’us (pronounced juh-MY’-us) Ramsey to a 10-day contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The six-foot-three Ramsey averaged 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30 G League games with the Oklahoma City Blue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2024.
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