Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher is in the final season of the three-year, $35.25 million contract that he signed with the team in July 2022, and despite drawing interest from several suitors before the NBA trade deadline, the Raptors decided to keep him. There has also been no word of a Boucher buyout.
“Sources say that Boucher and his expiring contract generated interest from numerous suitors before the trade deadline, from the Clippers to the Nuggets, but Toronto opted to keep him. Word is that there has been no discussion to this point on a Boucher buyout,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote in his newsletter.
Chris Boucher on staying past another trade deadline.
“The media said one thing, but the GM, the people around here would have told me … I was doing everything I was supposed to do, being a good vet.” pic.twitter.com/QTSfk17E4F
— William Lou (@william_lou) February 11, 2025
In addition, HoopsHype’s Michael A. Scotto had also linked Boucher to the New York Knicks in January. Boucher is best friends with Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who landed in New York on Dec. 30, 2023, via trade after playing with the Raptors for over six seasons.
“That’s what you guys are going to get all the time [from Anunoby being quiet]. Don’t be surprised,” Boucher told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post before the trade deadline. “It’s just his personality. That’s how he became my best friend, to be honest with you. At first I was like, ‘Man, why is he like that?’
“And when I realized that’s really who he is, I was like, ‘Well, you could always work with people like that, people who stay to themselves regardless of what happens.’”
Toronto Raptors Can Either Re-Sign Chris Boucher Or Let Him Walk During Free Agency This Offseason
Toronto tried to move Boucher at last year’s trade deadline, but teams weren’t interested in taking on his multi-year contract. Since the Oregon product is on an expiring deal, it appeared as though a trade was destined to happen.
However, Boucher could be staying put in Toronto. The Raptors can either re-sign Boucher in the months ahead or let the eight-year veteran walk during free agency this summer.
“I would say it takes two to tango. We did have talks, but we love Chris,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said Friday. “He’s the lone survivor from 2019. It seems like he’s been here forever.”
In 46 games played off the bench this season, Boucher is averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 17.3 minutes per contest while shooting 49.1% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc, and 78.8% at the free throw line.
