Chris Boucher's Tenure with the Raptors is Nearing an End
There’s a love for Chris Boucher in Toronto.
For the better part of six seasons, the 31-year-old Montreal native has been the energy guy on the bench for the Toronto Raptors. No, he’s never been a particularly well-rounded player and he’s had more than his fair share of mistakes over the years, but when it comes to energy, Boucher has always brought it.
It’s why Raptors fans began chanting “We want Boucher” late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, hoping head coach Darko Rajaković would sub in the 6-foot-9 Canadian for some garbage time minutes.
Those fans, though, were left disappointed.
Boucher’s time as a Raptors appears to be coming to an end. He’s been in and out of the rotation since the beginning of the season and it’s clear he’s fallen out of favor within the organization.
Part of it makes sense as Boucher is no longer part of Toronto’s young core. He’s the third oldest player on the team and with this season being a rebuild, Toronto would rather give playing time to younger players.
Looking on, it’s clear there’s a divide between Boucher and the organization too. He hasn’t played regularly in over a month, and Boucher seems to know where he stands. The exuberance he was once known for appears to have faded and his engagement level isn’t the same.
So why not move on?
The Raptors would have if they could have. There was certainly interest from Toronto to move Boucher ahead of the trade deadline, but with $10.8 million owed to him next season, rival teams weren’t exactly lining up to make a deal.
Consider the situation with Dennis Schröder, who was moved to the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline. Toronto received nothing for their former starting point guard, who has $13 million on his contract next season. Boucher was even less valuable despite his slightly less expensive deal.
Boucher’s time will likely come to an end at some point in the next few months. Either Toronto will find a taker for him in the offseason when his contract is less cost-prohibitive, or the organization will waive him.
It’ll be an unfortunate end to Boucher’s time in Toronto, a tenure that saw him rack up 2,727 points, the most ever off the bench by a Raptor. But as the organization turns the page, it’s healthiest if everyone goes their separate ways.
