5 Toronto Raptors players who could end up on a new team by the trade deadline

No. 2: Chris Boucher

In a recent piece on the trade value of every player on the Raptors, we made the following statement: "only one player on the Toronto Raptors could be said to have negative trade value, and that is Chris Boucher." Hardly a ringing endorsement.

Boucher is aging, declining, coming off an injury and overpaid, which is why the Raptors would love to move him. Would they really pay another team to take him on? Probably not, unless doing so set up a second move. More likely, if Boucher were going to be traded, it would be purely as an expiring contract, matching salary to allow another move to take place.

Are the Raptors likely to go after such a deal? It's certainly on the table as the franchise looks to reshape a young core, and Boucher is $10.8 million they can stack to bring back a more expensive player. Whether that's taking on money for another team to add assets, or going after a key player, Boucher could be a piece of the deal.

The Raptors developed Boucher from a two-way contract into a solid rotation big, and he is the only player remaining from the 2019 title team. It will be difficult for the team to say goodbye, but that likely won't stop them from moving on if the right deal comes along.