Ranking 9 Toronto Raptors contracts from bargain to nightmare

No. 2: Chris Boucher is on a bad contract

The Toronto Raptors stole Chris Boucher right from under the Golden State Warriors' noses. After the former Oregon big man went undrafted in 2017 he played a season with the Warriors, appearing in just one game for one minute, and then was cut loose. The Raptors scooped him up and developed him into a real rotation player who received Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2020-21.

That season was Boucher's best in the league, a long-limbed shot-blocker at the height of his powers. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 38.3 percent from deep on a robust 3.9 attempts per game. Rim protection plus 3-point shooting was the modern NBA cheat code.

Things eroded from there. Boucher was not quite as fast, not quite as impactful, and significantly less accurate on his jumpshot in subsequent seasons. He signed a three-year, $35.25 million deal that began two seasons ago, and he has been a low-minute backup big for the entirety of that deal.

After suffering a knee injury late this past season, Boucher's status to start next year is up in the air. He will be making $10.81 million in the final year of his deal, is already 31 years old after entering the league at 25, and likely won't factor into the rotation next season when the team is at full health. That's a lot of money to play for an aging third center.