The Toronto Raptors promise to be a very active team in trade talks during the next few months, with improving their frontcourt depth near the top of their list. Old friend Jakob Poeltl makes sense as a target with the San Antonio Spurs falling off a cliff and his name percolating around the latest Raptors rumors drops.
The Raptors and Boston Celtics have degrees of interest in bringing Poeltl to their respective cities, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Despite the fact that the former No. 9 overall pick was traded to San Antonio in the Kawhi Leonard trade, Masai Ujiri has a degree of interest in bringing him back.
With Toronto’s lack of rim protection still a problem that could keep them out of the postseason, Ujiri may be willing to send a competent veteran and a first-round pick to the Spurs in order to recoup a part of the Leonard deal. However, this move is far from a match made in heaven.
Are the benefits Poeltl brings at the rim on both ends worth giving away top-end capital for a player that won’t fix the team’s biggest issue? Ujiri and Nick Nurse need to wrestle with these questions as they consider bringing the former Utah Ute back to Canada.
Toronto Raptors rumors: Pros and cons of trading for Jakob Poeltl
Pros
The Raptors’ only defensive standout over 6-9 on the floor is Christian Koloko, and he has very clearly hit a rookie wall. Rebounding and rim protection are needed, and Poeltl could check both of those boxes while also adapting well to a familiar scheme run by a coach he knows.
Poeltl has averaged 13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game over the last two seasons while playing some truly terrific post defense. Poeltl is an ascending player that is in the middle of the best year of his career, which will be music to Ujiri’s ears.
Toronto Raptors rumors: Jakob Poeltl solves several issues.
Poeltl will be a free agent at the end of this season, and the Spurs likely will let him go if they win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Poeltl might not cost as much as he did last year in a trade, which could be advantageous for Toronto’s front office.
The Raptors could put Poeltl back in the starting lineup as the center with out without a healthy OG Anunoby, which will end the constant mixing and matching between Koloko and occasional starter Thad Young. If consistency is what they need, Poeltl might be an ideal target.
Cons
The biggest issue on this team right now is the pitiful lack of shooting, as proven in the Kings loss. Poeltl is not going to help them fix that issue. Toronto only has a handful of players and assets that can be moved in a trade, and moving them for Poeltl could limit their ability to make more trades in the future.
Poeltl’s free agency at the end of the season may help the Raptors acquire him for less than what the market says he’s worth, but that also could lead to Toronto giving away tons of premium capital for a player that could potentially bolt the team in free agency shortly after acquiring him.
Toronto Raptors rumors: Jakob Poeltl may not be the best fit.
Even if Poeltl is retained by Ujiri, that will only take up more cap space as the Raptors try to figure out which players are going to be here for the long haul. Can the Raptors really afford to pay Poeltl what the market says he’s worth and build competitive teams once all the young guys are reinstated?
When paired with the fact that Poeltl’s asking price for a player that likely won’t be a complete game-changer offensively is a bit rich. Unless he starts shooting 3-pointers, the Raptors’ struggling offense may not get the shot in the arm they need.
Verdict
The Raptors may need to look at other options before circling back to Poeltl. While getting more rim protection would be terrific for this team, they need to figure out a way to get some extra shooting and perimeter depth before they commit so much ammunition to Poeltl.
While games like the Sacramento loss show the limits of this roster, Toronto has left so much meat on the bone from the perimeter. Fixing that should be priority No. 1, as two of their best shooters in Precious Achiuwa and Otto Porter Jr. will be on the mend for the foreseeable future.
The Toronto Raptors face long odds to acquire Jakob Poeltl
While Poeltl may have made more sense a few years ago, he’s slowly becoming an elite two-way center that even a tanking team is not going to give away to a motivated buyer. Given the challenges of building a winner in Toronto, Ujiri must be very judicious with how they part with their draft capital.
Poeltl would certainly be an upgrade if the Raptors can somehow acquire him without giving up Gary Trent Jr. or a player of a similar ilk. Unfortunately, that may not be a realistic offer. Raptors fans shouldn’t get too obsessed with bringing in Poeltl specifically.