The Toronto Raptors needed something to change to find a new home for Jakob Poeltl. The San Antonio Spurs losing in the NBA Finals could prove to be the golden ticket to move one of the league's worst contracts.
The Raptors tried and failed to move Poeltl at last season's NBA Trade Deadline. They canvassed the league for a new home for the veteran big, a solid enough two-way center whose massive long-term contract depressed his trade value to the negative side of the ledger. They didn't find any takers.
The Spurs could be a trade partner
Failure breeds discontent, however, and the Spurs are awash in it after losing in five games to the New York Knickerbockers in the NBA Finals. The dissapointer-in-chief for San Antonio is De'Aaron Fox, their All-Star starting point guard. While an extremely talented player, he was a disaster in the Finals, and his backup in rookie Dylan Harper might already be better than he is.
Fox is also about to start a new, lucrative contract extension, and his will be for significantly more than Poeltl's. That will reduce his trade value, although his level of play is obviously much higher than Poeltl's is.
In fact, it's also higher than Brandon Ingram's level of play, despite both being late additions to the NBA All-Star Team this year. Ingram is a one-trick pony: reasonably efficient scoring. His playmaking is fine, his defense is poor, his off-ball impact secretly disastrous. Moving off of Ingram and the $80 million he is owed over the next two seasons would be a helpful move as well.
That is where the two sides can come together. The Spurs would like to find a new home for Fox that brings back win-now pieces and opens up space for Dylan Harper to spread his wings. They could also use a different pitch at backup center, bringing Poeltl into the mix. And their forward depth is limited, making Ingram more useful to them than to the Raptors.
Pitching a Poeltl trade
Here is a potential trade idea, recognizing that the Raptors would be paying a premium given just how bad Poeltl's contract is and how good Fox can still be. It was originally pitched by our sister-site, Air Alamo.
The two teams could haggle over the draft compensation involved, but for Toronto, this would undoubtedly make their team better. It would clear the way for Collin Murray-Boyles to step into the full-time center role, while opening up some financial flexibility to add another body at the position.
At point guard, Fox would be the dynamic second creator the Raptors need, and the defensive foundation behind him would insulate his worst tendencies. The Raptors could either slide RJ Barrett down to small forward or, perhaps most effectively, make him the Sixth Man and start Ja'Kobe Walter to balance the lineup.
Fox would be the infusion of talent they need, and his fit with Scottie Barnes is excellent. And being free of Jakob Poeltl would do wonders for their long-term future. This is not a no-brainer trade, especially if they are forced to trade multiple picks, but it does a lot of things for the Raptors.
And returning Poeltl to the Spurs might just be the answer they have been searching for.
Add us as a preferred source on Google