The Toronto Raptors have two obvious weaknesses heading into the 2026-27 season: the center position and floor spacing.
For many, the immediate solution to these problems has largely been Myles Turner, as the Milwaukee Bucks may look to move on from him as they enter their post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era. Turner has always been a reliable shot-blocker and stretch big throughout his career and would appear to be an upgrade over Jakob Poeltl.
However, trading for him could quickly become a nightmare for Toronto.
I understand the draw to Turner, as his career 36.5 percent three-point shooting and 2.1 blocks per game would make him a fun fit next to Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. But Turner isn’t the same player. Now at 30 years old, he’s coming off his worst scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking season since his rookie year. On top of that, he is signed for a hefty three-year contract that could age worse than Poeltl’s.
In general, Turner has never been a strong rebounder with a career average of 6.6 per game, and that alone should be enough for the Raptors to have no interest in the former Indiana Pacer.
Turner isn't the upgrade fans think
In 2025-26, the Raptors finished 24th in rebounds per game, and realistically that ranking would only get worse if they replaced Poeltl with Turner. The floor spacing he’d add would be great, but it’s also not a necessity. While Toronto isn’t going to kill teams from three, they don’t need to because they have All-Star-level forwards in Leonard and Barnes. To add to that, when you have two stars like the Raptors have at the forward spots, your role players are bound to see more open shots, and with that, Toronto will hit more threes.
What matters more than threes is getting second-chance opportunities or closing strong defensive possessions with rebounds, and Turner doesn’t offer a path to doing that. Turner is the type of big man that needs to be paired with a monster power forward, like Antetokounmpo. While Barnes is a monster in his own right, he doesn’t hit the glass as hard as a physical outlier like Antetokounmpo is going to.
Context does matter, and the Bucks as a whole organization were very bad last season. Having a down year like Turner's at 30, with three years remaining at $83.5 million, is scary for a front office to consider.
Obviously, trading for Turner wouldn’t cost a ton, likely Poeltl plus some second-round draft capital, but Jak deserves a chance to prove himself. If Poeltl can get back to being a solid 10-plus-point and nine-rebound big man who dishes out a couple assists a game, this team has a higher ceiling than having a center who can’t rebound in the middle.
I’m all for Toronto going out and making a change at the center spot. But if the conversation becomes Myles Turner or Jakob Poeltl, their decision should be incredibly simple.
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