Coach Darko Rajakovic displayed a Canadian flag-inspired Raptors logo drawn in red and white on his sweater during his first media conference after the NBA’s trade deadline market.
The logo was different from the traditional black-and-white one.
An hour and a half later, as the Canadian anthem played before tipoff, an overexcited fan broke the crowd’s silence by screaming to pump up one of the new Canadian players the Raptors had just landed.
“Let’s go, Kelly,” the fan yelled.
The new Toronto Raptors roster definitely looks more Canadian.
As part of the rebuilding process, they added two more players from the country, first trading for shooting guard/small forward RJ Barrett and now centre Kelly Olynyk.
RJ Barrett scored 37 points in the Toronto Raptors - Golden State Warriors game played in the Chase Centre from San Francisco on Jan. 7. Photo credit: Toronto Raptors
Both of them were key pieces of the Canadian national team that clinched bronze in this summer’s FIBA World Cup, the first medal in team history.
The number of Canadians on the Raptors team rose to three again, as Chris Boucher didn’t get traded despite speculation.
Chris Boucher was the only Canadian in the Raptors before Barrett and Olynyk's arrival. Photo credit: Toronto Raptors
This tied the highest number of players born in Canada on the roster, as from 2021 to 2023 the squad had Boucher, along with Khem Birch and Dalano Banton.
However, this Canadian trio is expected to have much more relevant roles. Although Boucher is out of the rotation for now, Barrett and Olynyk are considered key pieces in the future.
The Raptors obtained Olynyk on the February trade deadline sending Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a first-round draft pick to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the 32-year-old centre and shooting guard Ochai Agbaji.
It seemed Kelly Olynyk was always meant to play on the NBA’s sole Canadian team, as both of his parents worked for the Raptors in the past.
“It’s really cool. My mom was a scorekeeper here, my dad was an associate coach here,” Olynyk said in his Feb. 9 pre-game press conference.
“Just being in the driveway, pretending you’re a Raptor growing up, so putting on this jersey, these shirts and hats and stuff, it’s like something you can’t even put into words,” he said.
As for RJ Barrett, the Raptors acquired the Mississauga native from the New York Knicks alongside Immanuel Quickley in a trade, sending OG Anunoby and a second-round draft pick to the Big Apple on Dec. 31, 2023.
Bobby Webster, the Raptors’ general manager, said the fact Barrett and Olynyk are Canadians influenced the decision to add them.
“There is a basketball piece on it. They are Canadian, they want to be here, so I think that’s the other piece, which is having players who want to be here,” Webster said in a press conference.
The exit of OG Anunoby and the trade of Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 19, marked the end of an era as there are no longer key players from the team’s 2019 championship run.
The Toronto Raptors have been one of the most active teams in the market.
They added six new players, Olynyk, Barrett, Quickley, Agbaji, Jordan Nwora and Bruce Brown, before the Feb. 9, trade deadline.
The team traded away eight players: Siakam, Anunoby, Thaddeus Young, Dennis Schröder, Otto Porter Jr, Malachi Flynn, Precious Achiuwa and Christian Koloko.
In an outstanding move, the Raptors traded the reigning FIBA World Cup MVP Schröder to the Brooklyn Nets, along with Young to land Spencer Dinwiddie.
Toronto waived Dinwiddie right away to free up cap space for Scottie Barnes’ upcoming contract extension.
The All-Star will be the cornerstone of this new project with Rajakovic at the helm.
Rajakovic said the changes won’t modify their unselfish philosophy on the court.
“The style of play never changes. We are trying to play up-tempo, move the ball, cut, and play for each other. The new additions are good in that system,” he said.
“We want to build something special.”