Chris Boucher supports Goran Dragic after rocky Raptors tenure

In one of the most predictable moves of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, the Toronto Raptors parted ways with Goran Dragic in a move that brought Thad Young to Canada. The 35-year-old Slovenian just didn’t mesh with Chris Boucher and the rest of the young squad.

Dragic was bought out in San Antonio and quickly signed with Brooklyn to chase a championship. That led to one of the most entertaining Raptors games of the season in his return to Toronto. A merciless chorus of boos rained down on Dragic as the Raptors took home a win.

While the fanbase is still very irritated at what they viewed as insubordination, the organization has been less hostile towards Dragic. Nick Nurse has tried to downplay any hostility, and Pascal Siakam was initially very surprised at the boos. It sounds like Boucher felt a bit awkward hearing all of those boos.

On the latest episode of Boucher’s “Hustle Play” podcast, the Raptors big man hinted he wasn’t as angry towards Dragic as the fans were. He enjoyed his time with Dragic, saying that the veteran’s style of play helped him get into a groove.

Chris Boucher liked what Goran Dragic brought to the Toronto Raptors.

“I love Goran. I won’t lie to you,” Boucher said. “I was playing well with him. He was passing me the ball, throwing lobs, he was doing all those extra stuff that…I really liked him. He really said that I was talented and I was playing hard.”

However, he understood where fans are coming from. While this quote has been replayed and discussed 1,000 times over the last year, saying you have “higher ambitions” than laying for Toronto is not a good look. Boucher seems to think those comments were the beginning of the end.

Boucher said that Dragic was “starting on a bad foot” thanks to those comments. Raptors fans can be very hostile towards players that decide they don’t want to be in Canada, and Dragic’s comments helped take him out of the good graces of the fanbase almost immediately.

The worst part about the whole Dragic situation is that he could’ve been ideal for this young team. With this squad in need of bench consistency and scoring, Dragic could’ve been an ideal fill-in. Instead, we got five games worth of minimal production before he was excommunicated.

In the end, however, both parties seemed to have gotten what they wanted. Toronto can play their younger players while having recouped both Young and a draft pick in exchange for him, and Dragic ended up on a Nets team that could contend when healthy. That still might not be enough to stop the fanbase from booing him.