Sports

Raptors acquire Olynyk, Agbaji from Jazz, then Dinwiddie from Nets before waiving him

Published

7 months ago

February 8, 2024

Canada’s RJ Barrett celebrates his basket with Kelly Olynyk during a game in 2018. Photo by The Canadian Press /The Canadian Press

Having previously kick-started the NBA’s trade season early beginning in late December, the Raptors kept at it on deadline day.

First, the Raptors acquired Canadian big man Kelly Olynyk and prospect Ochai Agbaji — who was the 14th pick of the 2022 draft — in exchange for the worst of the three first-round picks acquired in the Pascal Siakam-to-Indiana deal (currently somewhere between the 26-28th pick of the 2024 draft which has been projected as one of the weakest in years), Otto Porter Jr. and Kira Lewis.

Then, they dealt point guard Dennis Schroder and veteran big man Thad Young for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, according to ESPN., getting Schroder’s guaranteed $13.025 million off the books in 2023-24 (Dinwiddie and Young are on expiring contracts). Dinwiddie was immediately waived by the Raptors.

Olynyk, who will turn 33 in April, has long been coveted by the Raptors, who would retain his Bird Rights when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.

He was born in Toronto before moving to Kamloops, B.C., and both of his parents worked for the Raptors at some point — his father Ken as an assistant coach, his mother Arlene as a scorekeeper.

Olynyk captained Canada’s bronze medal-winning side at last summer’s FIBA World Cup and is close with Raptors swingman RJ Barrett.

Agbaji, who turns 24 in April, played at Kansas before becoming a lottery pick, like Raptors prospect Gradey Dick. He has flashed a lot of defensive prowess, has good shooting form and has connected from the corners at a high rate in the NBA, but not from elsewhere beyond the arc.

Two years ago, Kansas University Freshman Gradey Dick discovered an inspirational note in his new dorm room from NBA player Ochai Agbaji.

It said, “Whoever takes over this room, be great.”

Today, they became teammates on the Toronto Raptors.

❤️????pic.twitter.com/7BAlLUhE2y

— Goodable (@Goodable) February 8, 2024

Agbaji has lots of work to do as a ball-handler and creator, but the shooting guard fits the mold of a potential “3-and-D” player. He led Kansas to the NCAA title and was named Final Four MVP as a senior.

Porter, a free-agent signing before last season, has been out of Darko Rajakovic’s plans for some time and was going to hit free agency again. Lewis was acquired in the Siakam deal and is now on the move again.

Toronto somewhat surprisingly did not move coveted swingman Bruce Brown and also held on to Gary Trent Jr. and Chris Boucher.

The team can pick up a player option on Brown for next season and either keep him or trade him. Raptors general manager discussed Brown’s situation shortly after the deadline passed at the team’s practice facility.

“Had we gotten the offers we wanted for Bruce, we would’ve done something,” Raptors GM Bobby Webster said after the deadline passed. “At the same time, Bruce is 27, he has a really interesting contract, he provides a professionalism and toughness that we value, and there’s options with Bruce this summer.”

Trent will become an unrestricted free agent, but Toronto has his Bird Rights, while the remaining year on Boucher’s contract made him tough to move as teams adjust to punitive changes to the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

“On the surface, Gary is 25 years old and a 40% three-point shooter, right? So you can start there,” Webster said. “I think he probably would even admit he didn’t get off to as good of a start as he would have wanted to, but he’s kind of settled in now and we’re seeing it.

“So I think it’s a little TBD on Gary, but I think we’re watching him grow with this group. We’re watching him pick and choose his spots offensively. I think you’re seeing him be a bit more aggressive defensively which we’ve seen over the years. So I think it’s a great stretch for him and it’s a great stretch for us to evaluate him.”

The Raptors will continue evaluating the rest of the way as they go mostly young, with Olynyk, Brown, Garrett Temple and Boucher bringing their veteran presence to the developing group.

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Sports

Canada’s Marina Stakusic falls in Guadalajara Open quarterfinals

Published

2 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.

The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.

Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.

In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.

The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Kirk’s walk-off single in 11th inning lifts Blue Jays past Cardinals 4-3

Published

2 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.

Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.

Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.

He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.

The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.

Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.

He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.

George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.

Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.

In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.

St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

ON DECK

Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.

The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Canada’s Sarah Mitton captures shot put gold at Diamond League in Brussels

Published

8 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

BRUSSELS – Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton rebounded from a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics by capturing Diamond League gold on Friday.

Mitton, of Brooklyn, N.S., won the competition, the final Diamond League event of the season, with a heave of 20.25 metres on her third throw.

Chase Jackson of the U.S. placed second with a throw of 19.90, while German’s Yemisi Ogunleye, the Olympic gold medallist, claimed bronze with a toss of 19.72.

Mitton, the runner-up of last year’s world championship, failed to qualify for the top eight in Paris.

Edmonton runner Marco Arop, who won silver for Canada in the men’s 800 metres at the Paris Games, was scheduled to race in the 800 on Saturday.

Olympic bronze-medallist Alysha Newman, of London, Ont., also competes Saturday in the women’s pole vault.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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