5 Centers the Raptors might replace Jakob Poeltl with by the trade deadline

On the refrigerator at my grandmother's house when I was a kid was a magnet titled "Rules of My House" and the one that I remember vividly read "If you empty it, fill it back up." Even as a little kid I learned how to make more lemonade so I could follow her rule.

The Toronto Raptors need to follow a similar rule as they field offers on the trade market for veteran center Jakob Poeltl. It's all well and good for Toronto to pull the trigger on a deal they like, especially given how highly the market seems to value proven center with rim-protecting chops.

At the same time, the Raptors need a plan to "fill back up" the center position. Their depth behind Poeltl is paper-thin, and if they trade him without a replacement on the roster they will be something of a disaster once again. It doesn't seem likely the front office has the stomach to repeat last year's pain.

The replacement for Jakob Poeltl is not on the roster

Kelly Olynyk was terribly miscast as a starter once Poeltl went down last year. Chris Boucher is in the twilight of his NBA career and not much of a starter at his best. Branden Carlson and Ulrich Chomche are both essentially undrafted rookies (Chomche went with the penultimate pick of the season round).

While it's possible Carlson or Chomche explode onto the scene, it's almost a given that the Raptors' replacement for Poeltl is not currently on the roster. If they pull off a Poeltl trade during this upcoming season, they will need to line up a second trade to bring in a replacement.

Luckily for the Raptors, there are a number of players potentially available on the trade market who could step into the role, ranging from low-cost fliers to expensive home run swings. Let's look at five options and discuss how costly it would be to add them, and how they would fit onto the Toronto roster.