Breaking down a trade proposal: Raptors send Jakob Poeltl to the Atlanta Hawks

Could Poeltl thrive in The Big Peach?

Toronto Raptors v Atlanta Hawks
Toronto Raptors v Atlanta Hawks | Paras Griffin/GettyImages

Just a few days ago, I wrote a piece analyzing what the Raptors would be looking for in a hypothetical trade involving their starting center, Jakob Poeltl.

All reports and insider suggestions have indicated that Poeltl is off the table, at least for now, in the eyes of Raptors management. It's certainly for good reason, too, as Poeltl is in the midst of his best statistical season to date in his near ten-year professional career.

Should Poeltl be dealt away, Toronto would solely miss his efforts down low, especially as a suitable running mate in the pick-and-roll alongside RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.

Regardless, Poeltl's perceived safe status with the roster at the moment is not stopping analysts and commentators alike from exploring his fit on other NBA squads. That's exactly what Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has gone out and done with his latest piece titled "1 New Trade Idea for Every Team 1 Week Before 2025 NBA Trade Deadline" from January 30.

So let's take a look at what kind of trade Buckley proposes for the Raptors' starting center from Austria.

Hypothetical trade offer

Buckley's trade idea involves the following assets from the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks:

Like I mentioned in the previous "Pondering a Poeltl trade" piece, I emphasized how the Raptors should—and would probably—value draft assets, along with an intriguing young piece with room for upside. Here, we see the inclusion of Kobe Bufkin, the Hawks' 15th overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bufkin's NBA journey thus far hasn't been smooth sailing, as his rookie campaign left a lot to be desired, and his sophomore year has been cut short due to season-ending shoulder surgery.

Definitely some red flags to think about when it comes to Bufkin, but at just 21 years old, there is still a world where the ex-Michigan product can come into his own at the NBA level. Does he unlock that potential in Toronto?

Aside from Bufkin, Toronto gains the big man's services of veteran Clint Capela, whom the Hawks have relegated to a bench role in favor of Onyeka Okongwu. Capela has a one-year salary of $22 million on the books, and he'll be headed for free agency in the 2025 offseason. Despite Atlanta's decision to shift Capela's role, he is still a double-double machine, lob threat, and could be a decent (but not amazing) fit to replace what is lost in Poeltl's absence.

The issue would lie in what Toronto's center situation would look like once Capela's contract expires. Do they re-sign him on a team-friendly deal, or perhaps look to a younger candidate to help complement the rebuilding core?

Finally, Toronto's side of the deal earns them two second-round picks in 2025 and 2027, albeit from rather competitive franchises in the Timberwolves and Clippers.

For the Hawks, despite a tumultuous campaign of late that included two straight losses to the Raptors, they still appear destined for a play-in push in the weak Eastern Conference. Thus, adding Jakob Poeltl to their team would be a fun idea.

With Jalen Johnson now ruled out for the rest of the year due to shoulder surgery, Atlanta could use some help in the frontcourt. Poeltl would probably fit best alongside De'Andre Hunter, and that duo, alongside Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and Trae Young, appears coherent enough to be a playoff unit. Although I'm extremely doubtful they'd make it very far, they would still be a tough team to get past nonetheless.

Final thoughts

With all that being said, we get to the final verdict.

Poeltl to Atlanta is not exactly the common destination making its rounds in the rumor mill, and it's probably because it's a pretty redundant deal to make for the Hawks.

As mentioned prior, the Hawks are clearly seeing something in Onyeka Okongwu to warrant a starting role, and bringing in Poeltl would just set his career back to square one. It's been a tale of years fighting for the starting center spot for Okongwu, and now that Atlanta is setting it's sights on the future, they're finally jumping the gun.

Unfortunately, Atlanta is one of those teams stuck in NBA purgatory, with talented players who are just competitive enough for a mid- to late-playoff spot, but not exactly a championship roster. They seem to be aware of that, but they can't really fizzle out to the bottom, as the rest of the East (including Toronto) is performing significantly worse than them.

Thus, they're stuck around the 8th, 9th, and 10th seed realm, but always finishing in that spot is not ideal.

Adding Poeltl just reiterates their settlement for mediocrity and other trade intel of late suggests they're gauging interest in guys like Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, which doesn't indicate the highest priority to compete. Teams pushing for Poeltl should be those win-now rosters, and the Atlanta Hawks are just not that.

Both teams would probably be best off just standing pat with what they have or exploring more helpful offers to their franchises elsewhere.

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