NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that the Raptors are one of the teams interested in poaching Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks once he hits free agency. Robinson would add rebounding and rim protection, something Darko Rajaković specifically mentioned he wanted in his end-of-season interview, to the Raptors’ roster.
However, the fit only really makes sense if the Raptors can find a way to move on from Jakob Poeltl without paying another team too much to take on his contract—something they famously weren’t able to do at the trade deadline. The two have very similar skill sets, and having both on the same roster makes little sense, especially since it would cost the Raptors’ Sandro Mamukelashvili.
The Raptors would have to create cap space to sign Robinson in free agency
The Raptors really don’t have a ton of room to sign free agents this summer. They would have to offload Gradey Dick’s salary just to re-sign Sandro Mamukelashvili if he declines his player option and hits free agency, which he is widely expected to do.
The Raptors cannot re-sign Mamukelashvili, who adds a different level to their frontcourt rotation with his 3-point shooting, and add Robinson in free agency if they keep their starting five intact.
Robinson and Poeltl are very similar players
Robinson averaged more rebounds and blocks per game than Poeltl this past regular season, despite playing fewer minutes in a bench role. So, he could be an upgrade production-wise and a solid addition if no floor-spacing starting big is available for the Raptors. But there’s no way the Raptors should have Robinson and Poeltl on the same roster with Scottie Barnes primarily playing the four.
Robinson and Poeltl are both traditional centers who need to be around the rim to make an impact on offense. They are both limited scorers and injury-prone. Having one player like that to provide strong rebounding and rim protection can work in today’s NBA, but the best big rotations have variety.
Trading Poeltl is easier said than done. Teams just aren’t overly interested in his massive contract. It already hurt the Raptors at the trade deadline when no one wanted Poeltl’s deal in a Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, and the Kings also weren’t interested in bringing him to Sacramento in a trade to send Domantas Sabonis to Toronto.
Convincing a team to take him would probably require the Raptors to throw in some draft assets to sweeten the pot. That’s a lot of investment and effort to bring in a slight upgrade that doesn’t address the Raptors’ spacing and creation issues. But the Raptors’ interested in Robinson suggests that they may have a plan to move on from Poeltl without giving up valuable assets. Otherwise, why would they even consider a player with similar injury concerns and an overlapping skill set?
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