Raptors Facing Cap Crunch as Chris Boucher Nears Free Agency This Summer

Chris Boucher quietly had one of the most efficient seasons of his career, but at 32 and with the Toronto Raptors facing a financial crunch, his time with the team is likely over.

The longest-tenured member of the Raptors lands at No. 22 on ESPN’s free agent rankings this offseason. On a deeper team with playoff aspirations, Boucher projects as a reliable second-unit piece, but with Toronto up against the luxury tax, it’s unlikely the Canadian forward returns.

“He probably belongs on a contending team,” wrote ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, “but Boucher, who went to high school in Quebec, is at home with the Raptors as the lone remaining player from the 2019 title team.”

Boucher appeared in just 50 games this past season and was jettisoned from the rotation for the final 22. Toronto shifted course, handing his minutes to younger players as the organization leaned fully into development.

Former Raptors All-Star Fred VanVleet is pegged at No. 5 on the free agent rankings, although he’s not expected to leave the Houston Rockets this offseason. VanVleet has a $44.9 million team option for next season, and the Rockets are expected to restructure his contract to lower the cap hit while keeping him under contract long term.

Gary Trent Jr. comes in at No. 19 on ESPN’s list, a bump earned after salvaging what looked like a lost season. He signed a minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer, struggled early, and fell out of the starting lineup. But his shooting stabilized, and by the end of the year, he was hitting 42% of his threes on high volume and posted two 30-point performances in the playoffs.

At 26, Trent is still in his prime and should see a raise this summer. He is unlikely to return to the $18.6 million annual salary he made in Toronto, but something in the mid-level range would make sense. Unless the Raptors shed salary, even the taxpayer midlevel exception projects to be out of reach, making a reunion highly improbable.

The reality across the league is that this free agent class is unlikely to feature much movement at the top. Most of the marquee names, including LeBron James, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, are expected to stay put if they even hit the market at all. The few interesting names available, such as Jonathan Kuminga as a restricted free agent or mid-tier wings like Malik Beasley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Trent himself, are unlikely to land in Toronto. The Raptors have never been a free agency destination, and without cap space or the flexibility to use even a midlevel exception, they are not in a position to make a move this summer.

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