3 Raptors-Spurs trades that get Jakob Poeltl back to Toronto
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors rumors over the last few days have centered (no pun intended) on San Antonio Spurs rim protector Jakob Poeltl. After Masai Ujiri burned a lottery pick on him and used the talented Austrian to land Kawhi Leonard, rumors of a reunion have sprouted up.
Marc Stein mentioned in his latest column that the Raptors have a degree of interest in bringing Poeltl back to Toronto. After developing under Gregg Popovich, Poeltl has become an adequate interior finisher and near-elite post defender.
Poeltl is averaging 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game this season. With Toronto in dire need of some defense and extra rebounding, the Raptors may need to get a rebuilding San Antonio on the phone and figure out what Popovich wants in return for a player of his caliber.
Toronto might not be willing to move any of their starters, but they have enough draft picks and assets available to entice San Antonio into making a deal. Could we see one of these three trades get pulled off at some point in the near future?
3 Toronto Raptors trades for Spurs big Jakob Poeltl
Trade No. 1: Dealing away a veteran
In this deal, Toronto gives the Spurs some draft picks, the expiring contract of a player who would see his playing time reduced if Poeltl came to town in Boucher, and a disappointing former first-rounder in Flynn. The Spurs are building towards the future, and this gives them some assets to jump-start their rebuild.
Boucher is not a high-usage big, yet he’s been able to rebound from a sluggish start and remember as a quality scorer and rebounder over the last few weeks. A free agent after this season, the Spurs could get multiple months worth of film on Boucher before potentially giving him a contract Toronto might not be able to afford.
Toronto Raptors rumors: Jakob Poeltl is stronger than Chris Boucher.
Flynn has worn out his welcome in Toronto, as Nick Nurse has deemed him unworthy of any playing time beyond a few meaningless garbage time minutes. Perhaps hitting the reset button and emerging as a backup in San Antonio could jump-start his career.
Once the dust has settled, Poeltl will be in Raptors red and black. With Boucher and Flynn both potentially not in the plans for Toronto next season, adding a player like Poeltl might be the best way to plug a huge hole ahead of a potential playoff push in 2022.