Last season featured seismic changes for the Toronto Raptors as they made several trades. One included bringing in Canadian center Kelly Olynyk.
This deal happened at the trade deadline, which netted Toronto Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. This was in exchange for Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.
A move that seems to be working out for the Raptors. Agbaji is showcasing impressive three-point shooting and frankly this looks to be the best year of his career.
For Olynyk, he is the backup for Jakob Poeltl, adding a different playstyle. For a Toronto team that needs shooting, the veteran provides that next to Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
However, leading up to the deadline, the Raptors were not the only team interested in the former Gonzaga Bulldog.
NBA insider Jake Fischer shared that the Golden State Warriors expressed interest in Olynyk, via Bleacher Report:
“I was told from various NBA executives around the league that Kelly Olynyk was someone the Warriors were targeting at last year’s trade deadline,” Fischer said. “He would fit their system perfectly.”
In today’s NBA, there is a need to have players that can space the floor. Specifically for centers, as it makes defensive bigs have to worry about contesting at the three-point line.
Fischer is right by saying Olynyk would have fit perfectly in Golden State’s system. The Warriors are known for their floor spacing and the 33-year-old would have certainly provided that.
Hopefully, Toronto is able to continue to reap the benefit from their deadline move with Utah. It’ll be interesting to see if the Warriors inquire about Olynyk at this season’s deadline.
Kelly Olynyk discusses being part of Raptors 30th Anniversary season
Prior to opening night, Olynyk discussed what it meant to be a part of this special Raptors season. Hopefully, he is able to suit up soon for Toronto.
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