Oh, Canada! Raptors lock up another Canadian player

Kelly Olynyk, who was born in Scarborough, Ontario, and played his post-Grade Seven ball in Kamloops, British Columbia, joined the Raptors after a trade from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline. 

He's the second prominent Canadian acquired by Toronto this season, after RJ Barrett, who grew up in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, came over in a trade with the New York Knicks.

Toronto gave up a 2024 first-round pick to get Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji (from Kansas City, which is not in Canada). The Raptors immediately made it clear they wanted the sweet-shooting, pass-first big man to stick around, as a floor-stretcher and a veteran leader.

Olynyk was on the same page. "I’d love to be here for the rest of my career," Olynyk told reporters right after the trade. "Hopefully that plays out."

The two sides reached an extension quickly and seemingly easily. Olynyk signed for the maximum that Toronto could offer him, which translates to a small raise on his $12.2M salary, and locks him in through his 35th birthday.

Olynyk has averaged 9.6 points off the bench for Toronto so far, playing 20.7 minutes per game as Toronto chases a play-in spot. But this extension shows that Toronto views him as an important part of the team going forward, as well as a man who understands the metric system and how to eat poutine.

Toronto also has Chris Boucher, a Santa Lucian-Canadian center, signed for 2024-25. The Raptors may not end up as a playoff team this year, but now more than ever, they're Canada's team.