The Toronto Raptors had been playing before the….
The Toronto Raptors made two distinct trades prior to the NBA trade deadline.
For guard Kira Lewis Jr., forward Otto Porter Jr., and a 2024 first-round selection, the Utah Jazz traded guard Ochai Agbaji and Canadian center Kelly Olynyk to Toronto.
The Raptors then dealt big Thad Young and guard Dennis Schroder to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
ESPN was the first to report on both deals.
This summer, Toronto will have three first-round selections in the draft. According to ESPN, the Jazz will receive the lowest of them in exchange for Olynyk and Agbaji.
Olynyk, who was raised in Kamloops, British Columbia, but was born in Toronto, captained Canada’s bronze-medal winning squad during the FIBA World Cup this past fall.
He is among the group of players who have vowed to compete in the July Olympics in Paris.
This season, Olynyk is averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. At 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, Agbaji is the 14th pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
This season, Porter has averaged 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. The veteran forward, 30, has been beleaguered since agreeing to a two-year contract with Toronto in July 2022.
After participating in just eight games the previous season, he had surgery on his left foot that ended the season. He had a knee injury this season that kept him out of action for several weeks in early January. Since then, he hasn’t played.
After being traded to the Raptors on January 17 in exchange for all-star forward Pascal Siakam, who was traded to the Indiana Pacers, Lewis only appeared in one game with Toronto, picking up a personal foul in 1:33 of action. Lewis has played in 16 games this season, averaging 2.8 points, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 rebounds.
Schroder agreed toa two-year, US$26 million contract with Toronto on June 30. He started the season as the Raptors’ starting point guard. Schroder was benched on December 30 in a trade that sent guard Immanuel Quickley and swingman RJ Barrett, both from Canada, to Toronto from the New York Knicks. Thus far this season, he has averaged 13.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds.
Young has played sparingly for the Raptors during the whole of his contract, but he hasn’t played since early January. Over 23 games this season, the 35-year-old veteran is averaging five points, 3.3 rebounds, and two assists.
Over 48 games, Dinwiddie has averaged 12.6 points, six assists, and 3.3 rebounds. For the Nets, he has averaged over 30 minutes of play each game.