Chris Boucher finds himself out of the Toronto Raptors rotation.
The veteran began the season as a staple of the second unit, appearing in the team’s first 23 games. However, once Kelly Olynyk returned from injury on Dec. 7 against the Dallas Mavericks, Boucher was the odd man out and didn’t see any playing time.
Boucher has now received three straight DNP-CD’s (Did Not Play-Coach’s Decision). With the Raptors prioritizing younger players and different lineups, it seems like Boucher won’t be playing much going forward.
“We talked about it a couple days ago that there might be some situations that he’s going to be in and out of rotation,” Rajakovic said after Boucher received his first DNP-CD against the Mavericks. “He’s a professional. He did a great job. He’s always staying ready.”
It’s not like Boucher hasn’t been productive for the Raptors this season. He has averaged 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. In fact, Boucher is the best Raptors bench scorer in team history. He has scored 2,983 points from off the bench in his career, which is first on the franchise’s all-time list per StatMuse.
“He’s always proactive, trying to put extra work in,” Rajakovic said. “I think he’s doing really good job for us this season. But we’re gonna take a look at different lineups and give different opportunities for different guys.”
While Boucher is still contributing at a high level, the reality is he does not fit the Raptors’ rebuilding timeline. Boucher’s name popped up in trade rumors last season, but that never amounted to anything. With the February trade deadline looming one again and trade restrictions on certain players set to lift in the coming days, Boucher’s name is bound to resurface in more trade rumors.
Boucher offers a valuable skillset. He hustles, rebounds, can shoot the three and blocks three-point attempts. He would be a nice bench piece on a contender as a small ball center or forward. Boucher is in the final year of his deal, earning $10.8 million, so his contract is easy to absorb.
Boucher is the last remaining Raptors player from the 2019 championship team and he has been a key part of the franchise over the years. However, it seems inevitable that his time with Toronto is coming to an end.
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