Assuming that the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through eventually, he, Kyle Anderson, and first-round pick Allen Graves will be the only big additions to the roster. There’s room for some potential under-the-radar signings of young guys on the cheapest possible contracts, but they won’t be able to spend a ton of money on an impactful center. Raptors fans have been waiting for the team to either trade Jakob Poeltl in for an upgrade or at least find a serviceable backup in free agency instead of expecting Collin Murray-Boyles to carry all the backup center minutes.
Nevertheless, it looks like the Raptors will go into next season with Poeltl as their starting center and Murray-Boyles as the primary backup, with some Scottie Barnes and Allen Graves minutes sprinkled into the rotation if needed—unless they make another trade, of course. That’s far from the best-case scenario talent- and depth-wise. But it also gives Poeltl a chance to bounce back from his injury-plagued season and make the Raptors look at least a little less foolish for signing him to that massive extension.
If he can bounce back and play as he did in previous seasons with the Raptors, he might be able to rebuild his trade value enough to give the organization a real shot at pursuing trades for an upgrade. Given that Poeltl is 30 and back injuries can be very tricky, teams probably won’t be falling over themselves to try to acquire Poeltl at the trade deadline or in the offseason. But perhaps he can rebuild his trade value just enough that at least one team in need of a veteran big wouldn’t mind taking on his contract without asking for outrageous draft compensation from the Raptors.
2025-26 was a down year for Poeltl in every way
Poeltl hasn’t played a ton of games since joining the Raptors for his second stint in Toronto during the 2022-23 season. He played 50 games in 2023-24, 57 the next season, and just 46 this past season. 2025-26 was also his least productive season in years.
Poeltl averaged 10.7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 25 minutes per game. He recorded his lowest scoring average since the 2020–21 season, the fewest rebounding average since 2019-20, and the fewest blocks per game since the 2018-19 campaign.
The rim protection and rebounding are especially significant. With Scottie Barnes, (hopefully) Kawhi Leonard, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, the Raptors don’t need Poeltl to score a ton. They do, however, need him to be active on the glass, set good screens, and protect the rim.
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