Thankfully for the Toronto Raptors, they have a couple of noteworthy homegrown talents in their midst, as veterans Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher are making Canada proud (shoutout to RJ Barrett, too).
One could make the argument that Boucher's play has eclipsed Olynyk's, and that certainly wouldn't be out of the question; the 32-year-old had a tremendous January campaign that saw him explode for a breakout run.
But you need to acknowledge the efforts of Kelly Olynyk also, who started off his injury-riddled year on a bit of a downturn until returning to game speed once again (averaging 48.6% from three at the time of writing).
With their respective seasons going as well as they have, it comes as no surprise that both Boucher and Olynyk have garnered traction in the NBA trade market. The 2025 trade deadline is next Thursday, February 6, at 3:00 p.m. ET, and although no deal has been finalized just yet, there is a high chance that one or both of the Raptors' Canadian vets are dealt to new NBA homes.
The hope among Raptors nation is that their beloved team can emerge out of the trade deadline as winners, and NBA insiders seem to think so too.
And so, we return to an article courtesy of Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, where he explores trade scenarios for every NBA team with the fast-approaching deadline next week. In it, Buckley presents trade concepts for both Boucher and Olynyk that sends them to contending franchises.
Now that we've set the stage, let's proceed.
Chris Boucher trade
Here is Buckley's proposed trade, sending Raptors forward Chris Boucher to the Cleveland Cavaliers:
The 2024-25 campaign has been absolutely superb for Cleveland, as they currently hold a 39-9 record at the time of writing, occupying the 1st seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Cavs will undoubtedly have many eyes on them as they push toward playoff success, but before they can get there, Cleveland may explore roster upgrades at the trade deadline.
And so, acquiring a flamethrowing forward like Chris Boucher could be a small move in the grand scheme of things, but a promising upgrade nonetheless. He's no Cam Johnson (who the Cavaliers were rumored to show interest in), but as mentioned a million times over; Boucher is a guy who is always willing to step up and exhibit his toughness/hustle when needed.
Boucher appears tailor-made for a championship core structure, and if he can provide a rebuilding Raptors squad with his spark, imagine what he could do in a winning scenario.
In exchange, the Raptors receive another veteran who can shoot the three-ball in Georges Niang to possibly fill the gap left by Boucher's departure. Niang certainly doesn't have the fan-favorite image that Boucher has, but he could give Toronto a much-needed boost from beyond the arc and elevate his standing in the eyes of the Raptors faithful.
In addition, two second-rounders head Toronto's way, but from two competitive franchises in the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, respectively.
Kelly Olynyk trade
Here is Buckley's proposed trade, sending Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk to the Dallas Mavericks:
The Mavericks were hit with a gutting injury loss to their frontcourt, losing sophomore Dereck Lively II to an untimely right ankle stress fracture, expected to keep him out of action for an extended period. As a result of this news, I wrote a piece detailing how the Dallas could find a trade avenue in the Raptors, by acquiring one of their bigs to offset this depleting blow in that department.
Well, not long after that, another unlucky injury would become apparent for one of Dallas' big men. Maxi Kleber would undergo foot surgery to repair a fracture, which deducts another element of their frontcourt depth. Sure, Kleber might've been in the midst of a poor season where his role largely diminished, but he was arguably on track to see more minutes given Lively's injury. Now, the task rests in the hands of Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington.
Adding Kelly Olynyk would be a great addition to a Mavericks squad that hopes that, at full strength, they can return to glory once again in the NBA Finals. The injury bug has been crippling them, so it might be hard to see the light right now, but they're still currently the 8th seed out West, so the hopes shouldn't be entirely dire.
Olynyk might be on the older side, but when he's game-on, K.O. can rebound quite well, score in various ways (his three-point shot has been stellar, as previously mentioned), and is a solid playmaker at his position.
For Toronto, Kleber would largely make up the contractual salaries, and I highly doubt he'd be much use for the rebuilding Raptors. But Jaden Hardy, on the other hand? He might be the X-factor Toronto could be looking for in their rebuild. Hardy might be a bit of a streaky shooter, but his ceiling could be poised for a Gary Trent Jr. or Lou Williams type role—a go-out-there-and-get-you-buckets type of deal.
Without a doubt, Hardy is the measuring stick for a deal like this; if he's on the table, Toronto should immediately say yes and be alright with Olynyk's departure. Everything else in the deal is just filler at that point—not to overblow Hardy's aura or anything.
Final thoughts
So we looked at both trades. Now, what's the final verdict?
I think the Raptors could probably find a better deal out there for Boucher, because Niang might be a decent fit now. But why not try finding a younger guy out there?
For example, there's Kobe Brown out in Los Angeles who could be a solid target in a Boucher-Clippers deal, or DaRon Holmes II in a hypothetical Denver Nuggets trade. If a decent prospect can't be acquired, I wouldn't settle for measly second-rounders so soon, as Toronto could probably sweet-talk their way into a first from a contender instead.
It's not a horrible trade by any means, but maybe it's worth gauging the market. If all else fails, it's a pretty decent return for an expiring contract.
Now, the Kelly Olynyk to Dallas Mavericks trade. Jaden Hardy isn't some superstar by any stretch, but I highly doubt Dallas just parts ways with him in a trade for an old-timer. The Mavericks don't have a lot of young talent on their roster outside of him and Olivier Maxence-Prosper, and if anything, I think OMax would be a more likely trade candidate than Hardy.
But who knows? Maybe Dallas just wants to recoup that big man depth desperately, and they're willing to let Hardy loose like that. If that's the case, it's a no-brainer for Toronto and could be a classic Masai Ujiri trick-up-the-sleeve move.