There may not be a more popular name in NBA free agency right now than Chris Boucher.
This season has not been kind to Boucher. After seven seasons and a ring with the Toronto Raptors, Boucher signed with the Boston Celtics this year. Relegated to the end of the bench, Boucher played in just nine games before the Trade Deadline.
As one of a series of cost-cutting trades, the Celtics dumped Boucher on the Utah Jazz, who promptly waived him. It looked like the bottom for Boucher, and his NBA career was apparently about to expire.
Except all of a sudden, Boucher is one of the hottest names on the NBA market. Teams that didn't want to sign him last summer or trade for him at the deadline are suddenly very interested in signing him to a new deal on the buyout market.
The contending Boston Celtics didn't want Boucher, but the contending Denver Nuggets just might want a big man who can block shots and launch 3-pointers, per DNVR. The New York Knicks could use another center and ideally one who could replicate some of what Karl-Anthony Towns brings on offense.
The Philadelphia 76ers are thin in the frontcourt and cannot hope to predict how long Joel Embiid will stay healthy, so shoring up their big man rotation makes a lot of sense by pursuing someone like Boucher. The Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns have been mentioned as teams with interest in Boucher in recent weeks, and both have a need at center after trading away big men at the deadline.
Could Chris Boucher return to the Raptors?
The most tantalizing option of all, of course, is the idea of Chris Boucher returning to Toronto to sign with the Raptors. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star recently floated the idea. With Jakob Poeltl's health uncertain and the newly-added Trayce Jackson-Davis unproven with this group, could they bring Boucher back?
It's certainly possible, but it's hard to say that's the place they want to invest in a player they were ready to move on from last summer. Giving minutes to Jackson-Davis and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles would make a lot of sense for the future, and Poeltl is reportedly close to making his return.
The other reason a reunion is unlikely is that the Raptors are at their maximum of 15 roster spots and are right under the luxury tax line. They could waive Chris Paul, who is unlikely to report, and sign Boucher to a rest-of-season minimum contract -- but the money would be extremely tight, and they would leave themselves open to an unlikely contract incentive hitting and pushing them above the line.
Boucher is well-liked in Toronto and everyone had great things to say about him. His game is also eroding at the age of 33; there is a reason the Celtics didn't play him. Can he offer something as a depth option in the frontcourt for a needy team? Sure, and it's not out of the question that he gets hot from 3-point range and plays meaningful minutes for a team down the stretch or even in the playoffs.
A lack of tantalizing options on the buyout market have made Boucher a hot commodity, and should secure him a new home. Then it will be up to him to secure the next deal and extend his NBA career into the future.