The Toronto Raptors' ongoing quest to get rid of Jakob Poeltl and his albatross contract almost came to an end at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, but with the team positioned to contend once the Kawhi Leonard trade becomes official, the Raptors may have received a blessing in disguise when a deal fell apart.
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, the Raptors had a deal in place that would have sent RJ Barrett to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for former All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis. However, Sacramento pulled out after reconsidering the appeal of taking on Poeltl's whopping contract.
If that trade went through, there's a very small chance the Raptors would be able to move Brandon Ingram to obtain Leonard, all while putting an even bigger roadblock in front of No. 9 pick Collin Murray-Boyles in the rotation. The Raptors' contention window may never have come open if this trade actually went through,
Jakob Poeltl reportedly helped cancel Toronto Raptors' trade for Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis is still a great scorer in the post, and he would fit in well alongside a coach in Darko Rajakovic who is committed to a free-flowing, pass-happy offense. However, the lack of defense is abominable, and he wouldn't do much to fix Toronto's issues with 3-point shooting and half-court creativity.
It became increasingly clear that while Barrett and Ingram are both terrific players, Toronto would be unable to keep both of them long-term. A native Canadian who came alive with a strong postseason series while Ingram was injured and struggling, Barrett proved to be the option this front office favored. Ingram was dealt, and the return package netted them Leonard in his return to Canada.
Poeltl will likely start the year as the center due to the 7-1 Austrian's height advantage over the 6-7 Murray-Boyles, but that doesn't mean the Raptors aren't exploring every option to get off this contract, After trading multiple first-round picks to acquire Leonard in principle, Toronto many need to part with even more top picks if another team is going to absorb this financial burden.
Still, it seems almost inarguable that Toronto is in a better place with both Leonard and Poeltl on the roster as opposed to Sabonis with no Leonard, Poeltl, or Barrett. The best move Bobby Webster may have in the last 12 months may have been not pulling the trigger on any sort of Poeltl/Barrett move.
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