For just $3.3 million, the Boston Celtics may have quietly pulled off one of the most underrated moves of free agency, and sadly the Los Angeles Lakers could only watch with their hands tied.
Chris Boucher, the high-motor forward who spent the last seven seasons in Toronto, is heading to the Boston Celtics. Boucher joins on a team-friendly one-year, $3.3 million deal, per Shams Charania. At the price Boston got him at, the Lakers should have been all over it…that is, if they had the flexibility.
Celtics landed an ideal frontcourt piece Los Angeles couldn’t afford
With Los Angeles hard-capped at the first apron and limited to just $2.3 million in spending room, Boucher’s contract was just beyond their reach. Unless the front office executed some sort of consolidation trade, this would not have been possible.
Still, even with that being said, this feels like a missed opportunity. It was one the Lakers might come to regret.
Boucher is not the biggest name, but what he brings is super impactful. He provides high energy, he can offer rim protection, he is fearless, and he is a legitimate floor spacer. Those are all things that this Lakers team exactly needs in its frontcourt rotation.
Last season, he averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds on 36.3 percent shooting from deep before an illness cut his season short, limiting him to just 50 games played on the year.
Getting a big like DeAndre Ayton was huge for the Lakers, but the team definitely needed bench support. Boucher is not a guy who needs plays called for him.
Boucher finds ways to impact the game in spurts, whether by blocking a shot, grabbing an offensive board, or hitting a trail three. At 32 years old he may not seem worth it, but he has still got some bounce and the kind of energy that can shift momentum off the bench.
His skill set would have been a perfect complement to Luka Doncic in pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll actions. Now, the Lakers are still left without a big man who can stretch the floor.
There are still some options on the board (Trey Lyles, for example). However, Boucher offered seven years of experience and a championship pedigree.
It is important not to overlook what he did in Toronto. Boucher holds the Toronto Raptors’ all-time bench records in points, rebounds, blocks, minutes, and games played. He went undrafted, played just one NBA game as a rookie, and still carved out a career through toughness and perseverance.
He was the last remaining piece of Toronto’s 2019 title team. Now, for just $3.3 million, that presence joins the Lakers’ biggest rival. The Lakers missed out, and this could be looked back on down the road as the season goes on as a move they wish they’d made.