Raptors insider hypes up Spurs trade that brings back shooter

With the Toronto Raptors scheduled to begin a very challenging stretch of games and trade season starting to get kicked into high get when the December 15 restrictions are lifted, Masai Ujiri might need to start getting GMs on the phone in an attempt to improve this roster.

With the San Antonio Spurs committed wholly to the Victor Wembanyama tank job, players like Jakob Poeltl have been mentioned as potential trade targets for quite some time. He’ll require at least a first-round pick, which could put the Raptors off trying to bring back their former No. 9 overall pick.

The Raptors may be more inclined to look for shooting over rim protection, as Toronto has shot under 30% from 3-point range in the last two weeks despite the fact that they have a solid collection of proven scorers. One Raptors insider seems to have connected the best trade to please all parties.

SportsNet’s Michael Grange floated the possibility of the Raptors trying to acquire Poeltl while taking on forward Doug McDermott in a potential deal that sees a first-round pick head to San Antonio. Both of these two standouts would plug the two biggest holes on the Raptors’ roster.

Can the Toronto Raptors land Jakob Poeltl and Doug McDermott?

Poeltl has averaged 13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in the last two years, as he really came into his own as a glass-cleaner and rebounder. San Antonio is clearly in no hurry to trade him, meaning that Toronto may have to surrender multiple picks to acquire him.

McDermott has averaged 11.0 points per game while making 42% of his 3-pointers in his last two seasons with the Spurs. While he lacks tremendous athletic ability, the Raptors may have to bring him on in order to supplement their deficient collection of perimeter players quickly.

While Christian Koloko has contributed more than most thought he would during his rookie season, he’s clearly hitting a rookie wall. With Otto Porter Jr. out for a considerable while due to his toe injury and the regression of Fred VanVleet, both Poeltl and McDermott are needed.

The Raptors’ 17-man roster at the moment is going to endure some serious changes in the next few months, and adding Poeltl and McDermott could be a good way to give the team a facelift without forking over too much draft control to what promises to be a bad San Antonio team.