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

No. 4: Wendell Carter Jr.

Our tour of teams with crowded center rooms continues, as the Orlando Magic have perhaps the best depth at the position in the league (although Portland and Minnesota would like to have a word). Wendell Carter Jr. has been the primary starting center for the Magic over the past few seasons, but this summer they signed Jonathan Isaac to an extension and re-signed Goga Bitadze and Mi Wagner, on top of Paolo Banchero having some juice as a small ball center option.

Someone likely has to go, and Carter has found himself in trade discussions recently and would likely fetch the most value in a trade. He has two years remaining on an absolute steal of a contract that is paying him just $11.9 and $10.8 million over the next two seasons.

Carter is a versatile player on both ends of the court. On offense he has improved mightily as a shooter, and last season hit 37.4 percent of his 3-pointers. That floor-spacing ability would pair beautifully with Scottie Barnes. On defense, Carter is a good-not-great rebounder and can execute multiple schemes; he won't fill up the box score with blocks, but he is a positive defender whether he is dropping into the paint or more aggressively defending in space.

It's not clear what the Magic would ask for in a trade; he is a starting-level low-usage center on a bargain contract. Would a single first-round pick do the trick? What the Magic need most of all is shooting, and the Raptors are running low on such players themselves. It's likely a deal could be worked out, and Carter would be an excellent middle-of-the-line solution on an excellent contract.