Kelly Olynyk signs extension
NBA teams not pushing for playoff contention rarely trade for veterans on expiring contracts, but that's exactly what the Toronto Raptors did when they brought in Kelly Olynyk at the Trade Deadline. The 32-year-old Canada native was a sought-after player at the deadline by a number of contending teams, but the Raptors outbid them all to bring in the stretch big.
Rather than wait for free agency, Toronto and Olynyk agreed to a contract extension, a two-year $26.5 million deal with the maximum five-percent raises allowed under the league's trade-and-extend rules. Olynyk grew up in Toronto and has expressed his desire to stay with the Raptors, so it was hardly surprising that the two sides hammered out a deal.
Olynyk's start in Toronto has been an incredibly rocky one, but his skillset as a stretch big is a valuable one and should unlock a variety of lineup options for the Raptors over the coming seasons. Bench lineups pairing Olynyk with Scottie Barnes' rim-protection at the 4 seem like a likely option down the road.
Raptors trade possibilities
The Toronto Raptors finally broke the seal and moved off of key players before they hit free agency. OG Anunoby went to the New York Knicks and Pascal Siakam went to the Indiana Pacers. As the Raptors continue their rebuild this summer, would they be open to trading other veteran pieces?
One potential trade floated by Bleacher Report would see Toronto moving off of Jakob Poeltl and Bruce Brown in exchange for another Canada native, Andrew Wiggins. The theory behind the deal is reasonable: the Raptors could look for assets for their veterans, and a team like the Golden State Warriors would be looking to make win-now moves at the tail end of Stephen Curry's prime. But does this specific deal make any sense for Toronto?
We analyzed that deal in detail and...let's just say this deal did not pass the test.