Toronto-born Kelly Olynyk is staying home.
The Raptors announced they have reached an extension to keep Olynyk — who Toronto acquired at the trade deadline — with the team and prevent him from hitting free agency this summer. This is a two-year deal worth $26.25 million (the max the Raptors could offer), reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Hometown kid is staying home 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/aDxx3HfjFO
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 4, 2024
“We’ve been a fan of Kelly’s game for a long time and are thrilled he will continue his career in Toronto,” Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster said in a statement. “In addition to his unique skill set and ability to stretch the floor, Kelly is a leader and brings a veteran voice to our locker room.”
In nine games coming off the bench for the Raptors, Olynyk has averaged 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. There is a natural fit with Olynyk, who spaces the floor and can pull bigs out of the paint, opening up driving lanes for Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
The Raptors have Olynyk taken care of but have a number of other decisions to make this summer, starting with the price offered to back restricted free agent Immanuel Quickley. Then there is whether to pick up the team option on Bruce Brown. Masai Ujiri and the front office can create a lot of cap space and further rework the roster, or bring much of this group back and see what they look like when healthy and given a full season.
It’s going to be an interesting offseason north of the border, one thing we know for sure now is Olynyk will be back.
