Finding a team to trade for Jakob Poeltl is no easy task, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. And the obvious destination for the veteran center is none other than the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Toronto Raptors reached a somewhat surprising point at this season’s trade deadline. According to reporting, they were searching out a big-name player at the center position, seeking to upgrade on Jakob Poeltl. It was a significant change after their years-long love affair with Poeltl.
They were unable to pull off such a trade, in part because Poeltl’s contract is seen as such a significant negative. If they return to the trade market this offseason, is there a trade partner who will be willing to take him on?
The most likely trade partner appears to be the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jakob Poeltl could be on the Memphis Grizzlies next
To find a trade suitor for Poeltl, the Raptors need to find a team that is in a very specific situation. A contending team is not going to take him on, not with his ongoing injury issues and his onerous contract that stretches for another four seasons.
A team with an established starting center likely doesn’t want him, either, because he would be an extremely overpaid backup big at $30 million a year. If a team has an incumbent starter being paid starter money, the ask is too great.
The sweet spot is a team that is not looking to compete for a couple of seasons, who can afford to be patient with Poeltl. It’s possible that his back injury that has kept him out for much of this season can be managed, and that he can come back and reestablish his previous level of play. He probably cannot do that by the end of this season, but it could happen next year.
That’s why the Memphis Grizzlies make a lot of sense as a landing spot for Jakob Poeltl. They traded away Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. over the past year, stockpiling first-round picks and signaling their intentions to rebuild.
They also have a significant amount of salary flexibility between an inexpensive roster and some trade exceptions generated this year. They can use those to take back money and won’t be overly concerned with the money owed to Poeltl in the short-term.
With starting center Zach Edey on a rookie contract and inexpensive, the Grizzlies can take the hit on Poeltl’s deal. Edey has also battled injury issues of his own, so having another proven commodity at the position would make sense. It gives them some opportunity to play Poeltl and rebuild his value this next year before hopefully flipping him down the road.
The Grizzlies are not taking Poeltl on for free, but the cost to send him to Memphis is potentially much less than it would be to send him somewhere else. Whether they deal him in a 3-team move that has Ja Morant landing on a new team, or whether they build a deal with smaller contracts coming back, the potential for a trade that works for both sides is very reasonable.
Looking around the league, that can’t be said so easily for any other potential trade partner. The Grizzlies make the most sense, and that’s why they look like Jakob Poeltl’s next team.