Amid the whirlwind of trade deadline news, a rather quiet move might have slipped past many Raptors fans, as veteran Chris Boucher was traded to the Utah Jazz to help Boston Celtics save some money. It cost Boston a second-round pick for the Jazz to take on Boucher's contract, and it's widely expected that the 33-year-old big man will be waived, allowing him to negotiate freely with a playoff team in the buyout market.
Boucher signed with the Celtics this past summer, bringing an end to what was a seven-season-long tenure with the Toronto Raptors, where he was part of the iconic 2019 championship squad. Initially, I looked at the deal as an absolute win for Boucher and the Celtics, as he fell out of relevancy with the Raptors in recent years.
Given Boston's need for forward/center depth, I genuinely thought he could carve out a decent run for the Celtics, perhaps even raising his stock to warrant a bigger deal next offseason. Well, I couldn't be any more wrong, as Boucher was barely utilized on the Celtics, appearing in just nine total games and averaging a modest 2.3 points and two rebounds in that limited run.
Chris Boucher's NBA career could be hanging in the balance
Now, the Celtics solved that situation without having the aging vet just rot away on their bench with no role. However, it does very little to help Chris Boucher, in my opinion. With his lowly role in Boston and minimal impact, I don’t know if many teams will still view Boucher as a playable rotation piece at this stage in his career.
The silver lining is that playoff teams seeking depth can still trust Boucher, a proven shooter, to reignite his spark if the right opportunity arises. I’d understand if Boucher had been given a fair shot in Boston and still fell short, but his playing time was limited, and he was lost in the shuffle despite being a championship-winning vet.
Still, it's always worth having guys like Boucher around on a playoff roster. The Knicks did it last year when they signed PJ Tucker after Toronto waived him as part of the salary dump deadline trade that sent Davion Mitchell to the Miami Heat. That said, I see this as Boucher's last chance to redeem himself and prove his worth to the league. If he's ultimately passed over in the buyout market, his disappointing Celtics tenure could mark the unfortunate end of his feel-good NBA journey.