Toronto – The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday that they have acquired forward-centre Kelly Olynyk (OH-lynn-ick) and guard Ochai Agbaji (OH-chai uh-BAH-gee) from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Kira Lewis Jr. (KY-ruh), forward Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first round draft pick.
Olynyk, 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, is averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 20.4 minutes in 50 contests (eight starts) this season with the Jazz. He is shooting .562 (145-258) from the floor, including .429 (36-84) from three-point range, and has scored 10+ points in 14 games.
A native of Toronto, Olynyk played three collegiate seasons at Gonzaga (2009-13) and was picked 13th overall by Dallas in the 2013 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 22.5 minutes in 728 contests (242 starts) with Boston, Miami, Houston, Detroit and Utah.
On the international stage Olynyk has been a longstanding member of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team, helping the squad win bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Agbaji, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, is averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 19.7 minutes in 51 games (10 starts) this season. He is shooting .426 (106-249) from the field and has scored in double figures eight times. Agbaji scored a season-high 21 points (7-14 FG, 5-10 3PT, 2-2 FT) Dec. 6 at Dallas.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Agbaji was acquired by Utah after he was picked 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2022 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 20.1 minutes in 110 games (32 starts) with the Jazz. Prior to the NBA, Agbaji played four seasons at Kansas (2018-22) where he was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and earned consensus All-America First Team honours as a senior after helping the Jayhawks capture the 2022 NCAA National Championship.
Lewis was acquired from Indiana on Jan. 17 and appeared in one game with the Raptors. Porter averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 13.9 minutes in 23 games (three starts) with the Raptors after signing as a free agent in July 2022.