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Six Canadians who could be on the move this NBA off-season
By Sumaiya | Published | No Comments
The NBA is going to look drastically different at this time tomorrow, with a whirlwind of activity stemming from the opening of NBA free agency on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
Star players will choose their own destinies, sign-and-trades will be completed, and cap-space relieving moves will be made. And this year, Canadians will play a particularly big role in all of the movement. After all, several Canadian players are on expiring contracts and will enter unrestricted free agency on Friday, while others could be on the move in the trade market due to their teams going in a different direction.
Next season is going to look different around the NBA. And several Canadians will be on different teams, too. Here are six Canadian players who could be on the move this NBA off-season.
Brooks is one of the best players to hit free agency this offseason and, considering that the Memphis Grizzlies went so far to publicly state that he will not be back with them under any circumstances, he could be one of the very best players in the league to change teams.
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The 27-year-old shooting guard will bring toughness and defensive versatility to his new team, but he also comes with question marks on the offensive end of the floor, where he is known as a bad decision maker when it comes to his shot selection. Last season, Brooks averaged 14-3-3 on 40/33/78 shooting splits, helping the Grizzlies lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference despite franchise point guard Ja Morant missing 21 games.
In fact, Brooks has been one of Memphis’ most consistent contributors for many years, guarding the opponent’s best player every night regardless of position. He could be a great culture setter for a young team hoping to build good habits and improve on the defensive end of the floor. A team like the Houston Rockets, for example. Brooks is likely to get a pay raise coming off a three-year, $35-million contract extension that he signed in 2020.
While Boucher still has two years and $22 million remaining on the contract he signed with the Toronto Raptors last off-season, he could be on the move due to the cap crunch that the Raptors currently find themselves in. Essentially, it appears as though the Raptors want to run it back next season with the same core group by re-signing free agents Fred VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl, while ducking under the luxury tax. To do that, they would likely have to trade some of their bench depth, specifically veteran forwards who make a good amount of money and who’s minutes could go to 23-year-old Precious Achiuwa next season. Unfortunately for the Montreal, Que. native, Boucher fits the bill.
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In fact, even in an alternative reality where the Raptors aren’t able to re-sign VanVleet and don’t run it back next season, choosing to go younger and build around 21-year-old Scottie Barnes’ timeline would be the most likely pivot option. And Boucher, who is one of the longest-tenured members of the Raptors and will be turning 31 next season, would not fit the timeline. Plus, the Raptors could actually get back assets for Boucher, who would be a useful bench piece for most teams in the league. After developing into a consistent player and learning to embrace his role on the Raptors, it just seems likely that Boucher may have played his last game in Toronto.
Lyles completely rejuvenated his career last season as a member of the Sacramento Kings — a sentence that has never before been written in the history of the NBA. The 27-year-old stretch-forward was an instrumental part of the Kings’ run to the No. 3 seed in the West and their competitive first-round exit to the Golden State Warriors, averaging 8-4-1 on 46/36/82 shooting splits in the regular season and continuing to play big minutes in the playoffs after earning the trust of head coach Mike Brown.
Lyles is an unrestricted free agent hoping to get a big pay day after signing a two-year, $5-million contract in 2021. In fact, Lyles has been in the league for 8 years and never made more than $5.5 million in a season, but he is likely to surpass that number with whatever contract he signs this offseason. The Kings are an interesting team to keep an eye on in free agency, opening up cap space at the draft and reportedly looking at throwing a big offer towards a free agent like Kyle Kuzma or Draymond Green, making Lyles’ future with the team uncertain. However, no matter what happens with the Kings, Lyles is sure to have plenty of suitors in free agency after the season he just had.
Olynyk falls into the camp of players who could be on the move because it appears as though his team has chosen to go in a different direction. After all, the Utah Jazz recently traded for former Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, who plays the same position as Olynyk and does a lot of the same things as him, too. As the Jazz enter a rebuild and try to get as many draft assets and young players as possible, it’s likely that Olynyk will be on the move this summer as Collins takes his spot in the starting lineup.
The 32-year-old is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career in Utah, averaging 13-6-4 on 50/40/85 shooting, helping the Jazz be surprisingly competitive for most of the season. He formed a stellar frontcourt alongside Lauri Markkanen and rookie centre Walker Kessler, proving to be a versatile forward that can fit in a variety of different lineup combinations. Olynyk is entering the final year of a three-year, $37-million contract, and whether it happens in the off-season or at the trade deadline, it appears likely that he will finish that contract on a contender rather than with the Jazz.
Powell is one of the most under-discussed free agents in the NBA, but the 31-year-old centre is likely to be on the move this off-season after the Dallas Mavericks drafted Duke centre Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and held onto veteran backup big man Javale McGee.
Powell averaged 7-4-1 on 73/0/73 shooting splits last season as the starting centre for the Mavericks, doing all of the dirty work as a good screen-setter and rebounder. But the Mavericks were an utter disaster last season, missing out on the play-in tournament after trading for star guard Kyrie Irving. They appear to be going in a different direction this off-season, with Powell unlikely to be brought back. Coming off a three-year, $33-million contract, Powell has proven to be a helpful centre in the NBA and should have plenty of suitors in free agency.
Dort is a wildcard, as most people expect him to remain a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the long term, playing in the backcourt alongside fellow Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as two of the longest tenured members of the team try to move the Thunder towards contender status. But a series of moves the Thunder made at the 2023 NBA Draft put Dort’s future with the team into question, at least if you are willing to read (perhaps too deeply) into the tea leaves.
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The Thunder traded the No. 12 pick to the Mavericks for the No. 10 pick and veteran sharpshooter Davis Bertans, who has one year and $17 million guaranteed left on his contract. Plus, the Thunder used the No. 10 pick to select Kentucky guard Cason Wallace, who has a similar profile to Dort in that he is a defence-first guard who is strong enough to defend multiple positions while having more upside than Dort on the offensive end. The deal signals a changing of the guard for the Thunder (no pun intended), where they could package Bertans’ contract along with the $15 million owed to Dort next season (along with a boatload of picks) to trade for a maximum-salary player. Essentially, if and when the Thunder are ready to go all-in and start winning, Dort gives them the ability to go out and do it.
Stranger things have happened. Welcome to NBA free agency.
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