Raptors sign Canada's Kelly Olynyk to 2-year contract extension, announce surgery for Barnes
B.C. native captained Canadian squad that won bronze at 2023 World Cup
The Toronto Raptors have signed centre Kelly Olynyk to a multi-year contract extension, the NBA club announced Monday.
Details of the extension were not announced, but ESPN reported it was a two-year extension worth $26.25 million US.
The six-foot-11, 240-pound Olynyk is averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 20.4 minutes in 59 games (eight starts) this season with Utah and Toronto.
Olynyk, who was born in Toronto and moved to Kamloops, B.C., with his family when he was in Grade 7, was acquired by the Raptors on Feb. 8 in a trade-deadline deal with the Utah Jazz.
Hometown kid is staying home 🇨🇦 <a href="https://t.co/aDxx3HfjFO">pic.twitter.com/aDxx3HfjFO</a>
—@RaptorsHe has career averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 22.5 minutes in 737 games (242 starts) with Boston, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Utah and Toronto.
Internationally, he was captain of the Canadian team that won the bronze medal and qualified for the Paris Olympics at last year's FIBA World Cup.
Barnes undergoes surgery
Meanwhile, two of the Raptors' most important players are out for an unknown amount of time. That means it's time for the next two to clock in.
The Raptors announced that forward Scottie Barnes — who broke his hand in Friday's 120-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors — had surgery on Monday to repair a fracture to the third metacarpal bone of his left hand. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles.
Canadian forward RJ Barrett, one of the players expected to shoulder Barnes and Poeltl's workloads offensively and defensively, said situations like this are what basketball is all about.
"Next man up. That's why we're a team," said Barrett, who is from Mississauga, Ont. "It's not just one guy on any given night, even though we are healthy, we need our whole team.
"We had a good practice today. We've just got to see what our team looks like moving forward."
Barnes and Poeltl have been two of the most reliable players on a Raptors' team that has had significant turnover thanks to four major deals ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Barnes played in his first all-star game and has averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. Poeltl has started in all 50 games he's played in, missing 11 games with a sprained left ankle. He is averaging 11.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists over 26.4 minutes per game in 2023-24.
The Raptors did not give a timeline for Barnes's return from surgery.
