It’s not going to be an easy task for the Toronto Raptors to convince a team to take on Jakob Poeltl’s contract.
The veteran big man just signed an extension over the offseason, which took many fans and analysts by surprise at the time. Now, the already puzzling deal is looking worse and worse, especially with all that’s transpired with Poeltl’s never-ending back problem.
Raptors fans got a massive delight when Poeltl proved to be one of the high-impact players of last year’s campaign, but even then, we saw glimpses of what’s only possible when Poeltl is actually healthy. That question of his availability has been lingering around for the Raptors, and yet, they made the bold decision to lock him down with the expectation that he could be 100% for their team.
Point being, it was a bad move by the front office, and while Poeltl is definitely a solid player when healthy and at full strength — there will always be a striking red flag surrounding the value of his contract and how long he can stay active in the lineup.
So, how could the Toronto Raptors solve this issue? Well, they could just roll with the punches and ride things out, hoping Poeltl comes back eventually. Or, they could jump at the second option and feel out the remaining hours leading up to the 2026 trade deadline to see who might take on Poeltl’s salary.
And there’s one team that emerged after yesterday’s blockbuster news, which could potentially take on Jakob Poeltl’s otherwise undesirable contract: the Memphis Grizzlies.
Grizzlies could be Raptors' saving grace in murky Jakob Poeltl situation
With Jaren Jackson Jr. heading to Utah and Ja Morant seemingly on his way out soon, the Grizzlies are seemingly focused on a full-blown teardown and rebuild. After parting ways with Triple J, the Grizzlies opened up a massive $28.9 million TPE (traded player exception), allowing them to take on a heavy contract if the Raptors are interested in engaging in a single-team or multi-team deal.
We’ve all heard the rumors of Toronto’s interest in Domantas Sabonis (I’ll get to him shortly in another piece, too), so Memphis could be the key to getting a deal done — much like the Timberwolves found themselves involved in yesterday’s massive three-team deal.
Alternatively, the Raptors could find what they’re looking for in Memphis by dumping Poeltl along with draft capital to acquire the recently returning and blossoming Ty Jerome.
I’ve discussed in previous pieces how the Raptors could benefit from having another guard out there with Immanuel Quickley, especially after seeing how well extended IQ/Jamal Shead minutes have proven to be for Toronto. In Jerome, Toronto would be getting a proven scorer at all three levels, with the ability to explode at any given moment — Raptors fans can attest to that, as he gave us work last season as a member of Cleveland. He’s not a prototypical point guard, more of a combo guard like IQ, but he serves well in the pick-and-roll and can work off the ball — meaning him and IQ could share ball-handling duties, finding each other and their teammates for the right shots.
As alluring as such a deal could be for Toronto, it doesn’t fully address their need for frontcourt depth. They’d still be stuck running one of CMB, Scottie Barnes, or Mamu at the five spot unless they can orchestrate another deal before the deadline. But, keep in mind what I mentioned earlier: it won’t just be a straight Poeltl-for-Jerome swap — it’ll likely cost the Raptors, I’d assume, a minimum of two first-round picks.
We’ll see what unfolds, but it’s unlikely many other teams are in a position to absorb Poeltl’s salary the way the Grizzlies potentially can.