The 2024-25 campaign is winding down for the Toronto Raptors, bringing them into very important territory regarding their future. The highly touted 2025 NBA Draft is drawing near, and the subsequent offseason is expected to be the time when Masai Ujiri can address the kinks in their roster.
Recently, the rumor mill has put a spotlight on the future of RJ Barrett, but that noise has largely overshadowed another key roster question regarding the impending decisions surrounding veteran center Jakob Poeltl.
Poeltl's second run with the Raptors franchise started off rocky but it has since taken off to a worthwhile investment as the 29-year-old Austrian big has found a second-wind in his NBA career. On the season, Poeltl is averaging a career-high 14.2 points, along with 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.
Toronto had a deep hole at the center position and they made a huge splash to bring back their former 2016 first-round pick at the 2023 trade deadline. Raptors fans can recall the lengthy process of trying to figure out their center rotations after veterans Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka left; an effective solution was never truly found.
Raptors may face center debacle again amid Poeltl's uncertain status
Prior to the trade deadline, it became a hot topic among the Raptors community regarding Poeltl's status on the trade block: would Toronto entertain shopping the Austrian big man or keep him around for the long haul? Eventually, insider intel suggested that Toronto was keen on retaining Poeltl, at least in the interim, unless a blow-away offer was on the table.
Then, Toronto went ahead with their blockbuster acquisition of former All-Star Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline, which only made Poeltl's future even more uncertain. The Raptors ended up extending Ingram with a lucrative deal post-deadline, adding to their growing salary outlook, which already features Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and of course, Poeltl.
Seeing as Poeltl is playing the best basketball of his career, he will likely warrant a raise when his contract expires. However, it doesn't seem that Toronto will be the destination where the standout Austrian gets another payday. Poeltl has a player option of $19.5 million for the 2026-27 season, which he will likely decline. Therefore, it would make the most sense for Toronto to trade him while he still has value and to remove his salary from the books.
On the Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon, they examined the Raptors' player assets, focusing on Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. They concluded that Poeltl, given his current value, is a significantly stronger asset at this time compared to the uncertain value of Quickley.
On the flip side of things, Toronto is faced with a dilemma because they'll lose their solution at center by trading away Poeltl. The hope in a potential Poeltl deal is that Toronto could recoup its loss by adding, at the very least, a capable starting big to fill that role. Perhaps Toronto could find their Poeltl replacement for the long term by drafting this big who is rumored to have supporters in the Raptors front office: Duke center Khaman Maluach.
The future of Poeltl is really a double-edged sword for the Toronto Raptors moving forward. The team, right now, doesn't have a promising big waiting to step into a larger role if Poeltl were to leave. Orlando Robinson has been solid in spurts, but he's more of a last-resort option.
The chain of events that would follow a hypothetical Poeltl trade would be crucial. The Raptors could set its offseason sights on fully committing to figuring out where their next starting center will come from: through the draft or a free agency pickup? Toronto desires to achieve playoff relevancy with a healthy squad, and if they’re missing a center in what is already a murky roster construction, the end result could be very bleak.
This isn't just a situation of figuring out where to re-route an aging vet; the final decision could make or break Toronto's future.