With Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby having been traded to the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, respectively, in the last few weeks, most of the Toronto Raptors team that won the team's first ever championship has officially been booted out the door. Chris Boucher is the last survivor from that team.
Boucher hasn't been as successful as Siakam, but he is still one of the gems of Toronto's developmental system. He's built a very unique style of play on the back of his energy and length that has made him a solid back power forward that could fit in on many contending teams in the NBA.
Boucher has one more year left on his contract and is on the wrong side of 30, both of which could make him much less attractive to a Raptors team that is very clearly trying to rebuild. All of that could lead to a trade in short order.
According to Blake Murphy on "The Raptors Show" a Boucher trade is being "explored" by the front office and the vibes emanating from Toronto right now seem to suggest that a trade is more likely to happen than not. Boucher might be better off trying to help a contender than staying stuck on Toronto.
The Raptors are very likely to trade Chris Boucher before the deadline, per @BlakeMurphyODC (https://t.co/Kac1pPGQ5Z).
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 21, 2024
Boucher is the final player remaining from Toronto’s 2019 championship roster. pic.twitter.com/R1brCRMN9V
The Toronto Raptors could trade veteran PF Chris Boucher.
Boucher is averaging 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season, as his minutes per game have shrunk to just 14 per contest. Considering the recent injury to Jakob Poeltl and trade of Precious Achiuwa, his struggles to get on the court consistently have been quite surprising.
Even with his decline, Bocuher did average at least 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in three conseuctive seasons under Nick Nurse. His defensive energy and surprising rebounding is still very much there, and that might be enough to get some picks back for him in a trade.
The rival Boston Celtics have been mentioned as a team with interest in Boucher prior to Toronto tearing it all down, as they could look to convert some of their picks into veteran players. With one more year left on his contract, Boucher might be able to get a more desirable asset than an expiring player would.
Boucher needs to be in a very specific role to get the most out of him, but there could be a contender out there willing to put together a plan that does just that. Of course, letting him go would also sever the final thread that connects the current Raptors to the championship team.