The whirlwind of the NBA rumor mill highlights how unpredictable the league is — things that seem inevitable can quickly shift in a completely different direction in an instant.
I was largely writing off Jakob Poeltl’s tenure in Toronto as coming to a likely end, especially since his name, along with RJ Barrett and the 9th pick in this Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft, was mentioned as the top assets in a potential Kevin Durant trade offer.
But here we are as the actual Kevin Durant trade got finalized and he will not be suiting up for the Raptors next season as many hoped, instead headed to the Houston Rockets.
And with that, Jakob Poeltl's direction with the Toronto Raptors has become increasingly clear, supported by recent insights from NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein on Stein's Substack.
Raptors likely to re-sign Jakob Poeltl after Durant trade talks falter
"It remains to be seen how firm that stance is [referring to Toronto pulling back on Jakob Poeltl's inclusion in a trade], but league sources say that the Raptors and their very underrated center have mutual interest in hammering out a contract extension in the near future if no trade intervenes."Jake Fischer and Marc Stein
I was one to point it out all season long: Jakob Poeltl is certainly not a center to take lightly in this league. He's not perfect by any means and has his flaws, but, as the two insiders would put it, he is Toronto's "very underrated center."
And clearly, their shift to prioritize keeping Poeltl—not just from a KD trade—shows they've pivoted toward envisioning the 29-year-old Austrian vet as a key part of their future moving forward.
I certainly salute that choice, as the hunt for another comparable center to replace Poeltl could have been challenging, even though I had raised the idea of adding Brook Lopez — though that would have been a tall task nonetheless.
Raptors Nation now has a more concrete answer regarding Poeltl, though we're still largely left to consider what the extendable number might look like for big Jak. As I discussed in another piece this past week, I concluded that a range between $23 million and $30 million is likely.
Ultimately, though, we still don't know for sure — that's for this offseason to decide. It's a relief that Toronto will still have their competent center in the fold, rather than having to part ways with him to make a bigger deal work. It would've been interesting to see what a star like KD could bring to this intriguing Raptors team, but then again, Poeltl is just as important as the next guy.