The Toronto Raptors are a team in a time of transition. After holding on to many of their roster pieces for years in hopes of remaining in contention, the team finally traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby this season in order to lean into a true rebuild.
The result of the trades has been a roster with one or two concrete long-term pieces but a lot of room for flexibility. Scottie Barnes is clearly a future star, but he may be the only player Toronto’s management looks at and declares completely untouchable.
Out of everyone remaining on the Raptors’ roster, these three players are the top candidates to potentially see a change in their role for the rest of the season.
Chris Boucher
Someone who was already not heavy on minutes in the Raptors’ rotation is Chris Boucher. As of this writing, he ranks 17th among all players who have suited up for Toronto this season with just 14.0 minutes per game.
Heading into Monday night’s home game against San Antonio, Boucher has not played since a week ago against New Orleans, getting a DNP in each of Toronto’s last three contests. He was already mostly out of the rotation, and the last week suggests he could be watching from the bench down the stretch of the season as well.
Boucher’s production has either slipped or stayed the same in several notable statistical categories since the 2020-21 season where he finished sixth in MIP voting. There is no telling what his future with the Raptors looks like.
Bruce Brown
Most Raptors fans are probably shocked to see Bruce Brown on Toronto’s roster at all at this point. Heading into the 2023-24 season, he was looking to take on a bigger role with the Indiana Pacers where he signed in the offseason. When he was dealt to the Raps in January, it seemed to take everyone including him by surprise.
Many assumed he would be gone at the deadline to a contender. He did not ask to be in Toronto, and it is not a secret that many players around the league are not super fond of the city (for whatever reason). He even spoke openly about playing for Tom Thibodeau in New York. But when a trade never actually materialized last week, it created an interesting scenario.
Brown’s situation is a strange one where his role may not be safe, but not for the same reason as others. Other players may not be playing up to par and could see their role reduced, but for Brown it will likely end up being determined by what his future plans look like.
The Raptors have a team option for Brown that they can choose to exercise or not, but they must decide by June 29 this summer. If the team opts to decline the option, Brown will become a free agent once again. The Raptors will likely consult with Brown and try accommodate his wishes this offseason, and his playing time leading up to the end of the season may be affected by this as well.
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