Raptors Said to Be Interested in Canadian Stretch Five

The Toronto Raptors are reportedly interested in acquiring Canadian center Kelly Olynyk from the Utah Jazz ahead of the trade deadline

Kelly Olynyk may be more than just salary filler to the Toronto Raptors.

The organization is said to be interested in acquiring to 6-foot-11 Canadian big man ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the Woj Pod.

Olynyk, 32, is the type of center Toronto hasn’t had in years. He’s a career 37% three-point shooter and is shooting 42.9% from behind the arc this season with the Utah Jazz. While he’s not particularly adept defensively, he’d help as another floor spacer for Toronto to pair alongside Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley for the rest of the season.

Toronto had reportedly discussed a deal with the Jazz that would send Bruce Brown Jr to Utah for Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reported. Utah is one of multiple teams alongside the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers that are believed to be interested in Brown.

Olynyk’s age and the fact that he’s on an expiring contract would seem to complicate his fit in Toronto as he doesn’t quite mesh with the organization’s young core in that respect.

Agbaji does make more sense for Toronto as a 23-year-old in his sophomore season with the Jazz. He was drafted with the 14th pick in 2022 but has yet to develop much through his first two seasons. He’s averaging just 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.7% from the floor and 34.6% from behind the arc.

The Raptors are widely expected to move Brown before the deadline hits.