No. 2: Kelly Olynyk
Things did not start off well for Kelly Olynyk upon arriving in Toronto at the Trade Deadline. The veteran big man was having an excellent season for the Utah Jazz when the Raptors sent a late first-round pick for Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, and things started off slow for both players.
In fact, they have stayed slow for Agbaji, to the point where it would not be surprising to see the Raptors move on from him this summer via trade or even decline his fourth-year rookie-scale option. With Olynyk struggling in a variety of lineup combinations and failing to hit his 3-pointer, the entire deal looked like a bust.
It still may have been an overpay, but Olynyk has finally had a couple of good games in consecutive wins to break the Raptors' losing streak. He was +19 in a six-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks and then romped to the tune of 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block vs the Washington Wizards, finishing +17 in an eight-point win.
The theory behind adding Olynyk is that he would be an excellent partner with Scottie Barnes on bench units, spacing the court and having the protection of Barnes' weakside rim protection. While trading Olynyk this summer remains a possibility, Olynyk has shown enough to suggest that the main reason he has struggled in Toronto has been the weakness of the players around him, and in a more positive situation his shooting, passing and savvy would be more impactful. He deserves to have the backup center position next season to give things another go.