Change is the one constant in life. And sports, of course, is no exception.
As much as fans and media build connections with rosters that stay the same year after year, with players who proudly wear the same jersey, year in and year out, those circumstances are the exceptions, not the rule. Perhaps those exceptions are made more valuable because they are so rare. For every Dirk Nowitzki, there are more Kevin Durants.
The Toronto Raptors are yet to discover their own franchise Nowitzki. Not even Kyle Lowry was a Raptor forever. And the current Raptor to have played the most games as a Raptor is Chris Boucher, with 406 games to his name. Followed by Scottie Barnes, with only four seasons to his name.
It is a time of transience for the Raptors. Springtime. Not full bloom, not yet, but the time of seeds and growth, rain and renewal.
Here are the players who, likely, have played their last games (at least for this stint) as Raptors.
Chris Boucher
What a long, strange trip it’s been. The Santa Cruz Warriors castoff quickly ingratiated himself with the Raptors, winning the G-League MVP with the Raptors 905 in 2018-19. This is what I wrote then:
Chris Boucher is officially the G-League’s Hakeem Olajuwon after winning the G-League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season.
There has never been a season in the G-League like the one that Chris Boucher just accomplished.
That was followed very quickly by Boucher becoming a regular member of the Raptors’ rotation in 2019-20 and finishing eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2019-20. That season — in hindsight, the pinnacle of his career to this point — saw him rampaging to the rim as a roller for Lowry, blocking tons of shots as the weak-side helper, running in transition, and crashing the offensive glass like a madman. It helped that he splashed 38.3 percent of his triples that season as a true stretch big.
It’s been a long, slow descent since then. Whether you blame Boucher for any inconsistency in play or the Raptors for never offering a consistent role is completely up to you. Nick Nurse stopped trusting Boucher (and insisted on criticizing him publicly to assembled media). Boucher’s minutes and role declined the following three seasons.
That trend didn’t end when Darko Rajakovic replaced Nurse. Boucher never became a trusted, core member of the Raptors under Rajakovic. He played 50 games in both seasons under Rajakovic. His scoring took a leap in 2024-25, even with him going on a preposterous tear just before the trade deadline, with Points in a Can scoring 55 points on 72-percent shooting in three consecutive games in mid-January after being reinserted into the lineup. Yet Boucher never found himself a permanent member of the rotation, and the Raptors never managed to trade him.
This last season was likely Boucher’s last chance. He is not under contract for the 2025-26 season, and the Raptors have not shown they value his services. Boucher deserves to run like a madman for a team that needs such energy.
Colin Castleton
The Raptors desperately need a backup big man. Jakob Poeltl has been a breath of fresh air since solving the center spot for Toronto. But the Raptors have never found a replacement for when he needs to rest. When Poeltl sat on the bench this past season, the Raptors had a net rating of negative-6.2, by the far the lowest on the team among rotation players.
The Raptors tried different players. Including Colin Castleton.
Castleton certainly has skills at the big-man spot. Though his jumper never came around, he doesn’t hesitate to launch from deep when open. His jump hook is consistent. He cleans the glass and is nimble for a center. He even has great length, with an enormous wingspan.
But Castleton got pushed around by other bigs. He’s thin and not quite the size of a traditional center in the NBA. Though he has some passing and dribbling chops, they’re nascent skills and liable to result in turnovers when he overextends himself. He simply didn’t offer the solidity that teams want from backup bigs.
The Raptors are going to try to win next season. I don’t think Castleton showed enough for him to help on that front.
The Raptors have Castleton on a contract through to the end of the 2025-26 season, but it is fully non-guaranteed. He’ll be in a camp battle to make the squad. For now, I see him on the outside looking in.
Garrett Temple
The Raptors couldn’t have raved more about Temple during the last two rebuilding seasons. At any opportunity, players and coaches discussed his leadership in teaching the young players everything about being in the NBA, beyond just performing, but also about finances and maturing as young men, as well.
Temple stayed ready, always performing like a professional when given a chance on the court. That culminated in 516 minutes over the last two seasons combined. He had a huge role on the team. Just not one that saw him hit the court very often.
And as mentioned, the Raptors are not going to be rebuilding next season. They will be trying to win games. Rebuilding teams and playoff teams (which the Raptors intend to be) treat roster spots very differently. For the rebuilding Raptors, giving Temple a roster spot as he helped the roster evolve was without any cost. That won’t be true next season, as everyone must be ready to win minutes on the court.
I’ve heard Temple wants a roster spot next season. He still wants to play and is not ready to hang it up and get into coaching. If I had to guess, the Raptors would happily offer Temple a coaching position but balk at giving him a (much richer) player’s contract. We’ll see if that suits Temple, or if he decides to run it back on his role over the last two seasons with another team.
