After the top two incumbent Raptors big men opted to head West in separate signings with each of the Los Angeles clubs this weekend, Toronto will retain reserve center/power forward Chris Boucher, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Wojnarowski notes that the agreement is for a two-year, $13.5M contract.
The second year of Boucher’s deal is non-guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. This makes sense given the Raptors’ focus on preserving 2021 cap room. The 2021 free-agent class looks to be stacked with high-quality All-Star targets. Along these lines, only the first year of newly signed center Aron Baynes‘s contract is guaranteed. Scotto also mentions that six NBA clubs were interested in adding Boucher this offseason.
The 6-foot-9 Boucher, 27, will be counted on by Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and head coach Nick Nurse to shore up the middle behind Baynes, the presumed starter.
Boucher enjoyed a career year during 2019-20, finally cementing a steady rotation spot during his third NBA season. He more than doubled his previous highest-minutes tally, averaging 13.2 MPG across 62 NBA games as the Raptors’ third option at center. He notched averages of 6.6 points (double his prior career high), 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Boucher also flashed some promise from long range during his two seasons in Toronto. His current career mark is 32.1 percent from deep on 1.7 attempts per game, below-average but solid numbers for a big man.
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