NBA's Kelly Olynyk, raised in B.C., plans to retire as a Raptor
CBC
Once Kelly Olynyk was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Toronto Raptors, he knew he had to sign an extension with his hometown team.
The 32-year-old Olynyk, who was born in Toronto and moved to Kamloops, B.C. when he was an adolescent, signed a two-year contract extension with the Raptors on Monday. Although the six-foot-11 centre could have tested free agency this summer and possibly got a longer or more lucrative deal, he chose to get an extension done quickly to stay in Toronto.
"They traded for me, they wanted me here," Olynyk, who was dealt to the Raptors on Feb. 8, said, adding he wanted to . "reciprocate that love and show that I do want to be here, too.
"I've wanted to be here since I was four years old, so it's special," he said. "I wanted to create that trust and that bond. Hopefully, I can be here for the rest of my career."
Details of Olynyk's extension were not announced, but ESPN reported it was a two-year deal worth US$26.25 million.
He is averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 20.4 minutes in 59 games this season with Utah and Toronto. It's expected that he'll see more playing time, and consequently have his stat averages go up, with starting centre Jakob Poeltl missing an unknown amount of time with a dislocated finger.
"I think we have a lot of talent on this roster, a lot of young talent, that's trying to find their way and their niche in the league," Olynyk said. "I'm bringing my experience, versatility, to help accent those pieces and bring them all together.
"Some leadership and experience on and off the court, just helping them grow."
Olynyk has averaged 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 22.5 minutes over his career with Boston, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Utah and Toronto. He was traded to the Raptors alongside guard Ochai Agbaji in exchange for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a 2024 first-round draft pick.
Knowing that Toronto general manager Bobby Webster and team president Masai Ujiri swung the deal to bring him home, Olynyk said that negotiations on his extension went smoothly.
"They traded for me and Ochai and they wanted us both here as pieces to the puzzle long-term and that's something that I want to be a part of," said Olynyk. "You always want to be somewhere where people want you to be, right? That's always a good thing."
Olynyk is also the captain of Canada's men's senior team that will compete at this summer's Paris Olympics. He wanted to have the deal with the Raptors squared away so he could focus on the Olympics when the NBA season is over.
"That was definitely a big part of it as well, getting this out of the way," said Olynyk after a morning shootaround at OVO Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto. "Training camp starts a little bit before free agency, so to not have that on your plate and your mind, just be able to play free and easy and then obviously in the summer just be able to work out, train, and be present right at the start with no complications is a big factor."
Toronto also announced Tuesday it signed guard Jahmi'us Ramsey to a 10-day contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
It's small things, like a cigarette or a pair of clean socks, Rachel Montour says, that can go a long way to make you feel more human when you’re out on the street.
Several dozen members of Windsor's Chaldean community and its supporters celebrated in the cold at the corner of Marentette Avenue and Wyandotte Street East Friday, as city officials gave a secondary name to the section of Marentette between Wyandotte and Tuscarora Street: Chaldean Way.
Allison Hill says she tries to make people’s experience at the Thunder Bay Food Bank “as pleasant as possible.”
Two years after a man went missing in Scarborough, Toronto police are renewing the investigation in hopes that the public will bring forward more information.
A musical instrument created in Guelph, Ont., has been thrust onto the international stage — or rather, screen.
More than 1,000 Maritime Electric customers are without power after high winds blew across the Island Friday night into Saturday.
The Supreme Court of Canada is deliberating a case that could shape the way sentences are handed down in cases where both the offender and victim are Indigenous, which some Nunavut lawyers say could have ramifications for the Inuit-majority territory.
A man barricaded in a former church in Welland, Ont., was taken into custody early Saturday, nearly 24 hours into a standoff that began over a fence dispute.
Peel police are investigating after a Friday night shooting in Mississauga left one person dead, police said.
Another busy construction season has come to an end in London, and the city is already looking ahead to next spring when a slew of new projects are expected to begin.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun to lay out publicly what he sees as boundaries when dealing with China, as his government wades into a new relationship with the economic giant.
Ferry crossings are cancelled and over a thousand households are left without power Saturday morning, due to high winds and severe weather conditions.
Tens of thousands of Nova Scotia Power customers are waking up without power on Saturday morning after high winds and rain hit the province on Friday night.