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Report: Chris Boucher Re-Signs With Raptors
Chris Boucher is staying home.
The Toronto Raptors have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $35.25 million deal with Boucher to keep the Montreal native with the organization, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 29-year-old Boucher had been an unrestricted free agent this summer on the heels of a career year for the 6-foot-9 forward. While his points per game fell from 13.6 to 9.4 over the last two years, Boucher became the quintessential role player on Toronto's bench and a valuable player for the organization moving forward.
The deal comes in just slightly over the mid-level exception, meaning Toronto was likely the highest bidder for Boucher. He'll earn an average of $11.75 million yearly with the deal running through 2025.
"For me, it’s great as a coach when you’re sitting over there and the ball is going up and you’re looking at the game and you’re like, ‘I can’t wait to get Chris and Precious in. ‘ As a coach, when you’re saying that, that means those guys are really impacting," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Boucher following the season. "It was great. … I’d call his name, and he’d sprint from wherever he was on the bench to the scorer’s table and tear off his warmups and you could feel, ‘Here I come, man.’ When he hit the court, they would make you feel it. It was a tremendous boost for the last half of the season, for sure.”
Expect Boucher to continue filling that role as the sixth or seventh man for the Raptors next season and a valuable veteran on a team loaded with young talent.
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