According to ESPN, the Utah Jazz are trading center Kelly Olynyk and guard Ochai Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors for Kira Lewis, Otto Porter, and a 2024 first-round pick. The deal was one of a flurry of transactions ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
This deal not only sends Olynyk to his native city but also places him on his sixth NBA team. Among his five previous NBA stops is a stint with the Detroit Pistons. Olynyk signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the Pistons ahead of the 2021-22 season. A Grade II MCL injury hampered a portion of his time in Detroit, but in 40 games (one start), he averaged 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
Despite limited action with the Pistons, he was able to produce a memorable moment during a Feb. 27, 2022, 127-126 win over the Charlotte Hornets in overtime, where he hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper as time expired. He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
On the eve of the Pistons’ 2022 training camp, the team traded Olynyk and Saben Lee to the Utah Jazz in exchange for three-point specialist Bojan Bogdanovic.
Olynyk entered the NBA as the No. 13 overall pick out of Gonzaga by the Dallas Mavericks but was dealt to the Boston Celtics in a draft day move. Olynyk has also played for the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets. Over the course of his 11-year NBA career, he’s averaging 10.2 points while shooting 48% from the field and 37% from three-point range, while adding 5.2 rebounds.
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