Jazz finalize a trade deal to send Kelly Olynyk to the Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors have completed a trade to secure Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis Jr., and a first-round pick in 2024.
Sources informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the 2024 first-round pick will be the least favorable among those belonging to the Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, and the Jazz themselves.
At 32 years old, Olynyk has maintained averages of 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and a career-best 4.4 assists per game this season. His contribution has been instrumental in the Jazz’s .500 record, positioning them 10th in the Western Conference standings, just ahead of the Golden State Warriors. Olynyk will be joining his sixth team in his 11-year career, having previously played for the Rockets, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons. As an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the Canadian national team standout looks forward to his new opportunity in Toronto.
Agbaji, aged 23, was initially drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022 from Kansas. He arrived at the Jazz later that summer as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade. Agbaji has averaged 5.4 points across 51 games this season.
Porter, who signed with Toronto before the 2022-23 season after a successful stint with the Warriors, has been plagued by injuries, limiting his appearances to just 23 games over the past two seasons. Lewis, acquired recently as part of the Pascal Siakam trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, only played one game for Toronto.
This trade marks Toronto’s second consecutive year of acquiring a center at the trade deadline, following last year’s acquisition of Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs. Currently, the Raptors trail the Atlanta Hawks by four games for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference and are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth position in the lottery standings. The pick owed to San Antonio from the Poeltl trade is protected within the top six in this year’s draft.
