The Bleachers mentioned before the trade deadline that Olynyk is also a potential target for the Rockets, and that he meets Udoka's requirements. NBA Analysis Network also said that the Rockets will be interested in Olynyk. The final result is known, Olynyk was sent to Toronto to play hometown basketball.
Olynyk went to the Raptors and plug-and-play, playing 22 minutes in his debut against the Cavaliers, finishing with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Olynyk was interviewed after the game and said that he had not yet trained with the team and that he was still a little uncomfortable with the game. He heard the cheers from the fans and he felt great.
Olynyk adapted quickly, playing 21 minutes against the Spurs and finishing with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals on 6-of-10 shooting. Although the Raptors suffered a heavy defeat, Olynyk's performance is still worthy of recognition.
The Rockets are short on the inside, Sengun has a poor defense, Landale is not in charge, Adams will not be back until next season, Udoka wants to bring in a short-term backup center to make a run for the playoffs, and Olynyk is clearly a good fit. Olynyk is also plug-and-play for the Rockets, although his defense is slipping, he has a ball quotient, can open up space, can grab rebounds and can organize. But the Rockets were reluctant to send the 32-year-old center a first-round pick, and a deal naturally couldn't be done.
Rockets general manager Stone mentioned in a recent interview that they did consider bringing in Olynyk as a backup center at the trade deadline, but ultimately decided not to do anything. Stone said the deal to get Adams is a long-term consideration.
With eight hours to go before the trade deadline, it was revealed that the Jazz's asking price for Olynyk was at least one first-round pick.
If the Rockets are willing to send the 2024 Nets first-round pick, the Jazz will definitely be stunned and shipped directly. The problem is that the Rockets think Olynyk is only worth two or three second-round picks and are not willing to put up any more chips.
The Raptors put a 2024 first-round pick into the trade and ended up getting Olynyk and Abaki. In fact, the Raptors don't think Olynyk is worth the first round, but they think Agbaqi's lottery can still scratch it.
I have to say that the Raptors made a loss-making trade.
Olynyk's contract expires at the end of the season, and he will become a free agent at that time, and his value is only a maximum of three second-round picks, while Abaki will have a hard time working out, and he has little development value like the first-round picks the Rockets threw away.
Ochai Abaki, 23 years old, 1.96 meters tall, 2.08 meters with an arm span, and the draft report shows that he is an instant player with selling points such as three-point shooting and defense, and he was selected with the 14th pick in 2022. In his rookie season, Abaki performed well, averaging 7.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, shooting 35.5% from three-point range. Agbaji has shot just 33.1 percent from three-point range this season, and his shortcomings have been clearly exposed.
Scouts before the draft mentioned that Agbaji was average, lacked independent offense, weak rebounding ability, and defensive discipline was a problem. Abaki played two games after coming to the Raptors, averaging five points in 18 minutes per game and shooting 23.5 percent from the field. If Agbaji still has potential to tap, the Jazz won't give up on him easily.
Tabaki's situation is reminiscent of Show Duarte No. 13 in 2021. Duarte, 26 years old and 1.96 meters tall, played well with the Pacers in his rookie season, averaging 13.1 points in 28 minutes per game and shooting 36.9% from three-point range. Duarte is averaging 3.7 points per game this season while shooting just 36.2 percent from the field.