Going into the Toronto Raptors' Friday matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, it felt like this could potentially be a tryout game for Myles Turner. With so many conversations around the Raptors' frontcourt and lack of floor spacing, trading for Turner could, in theory, kill two birds with one stone. Turner is on a similar contract to Poeltl, making a trade financially plausible for both sides, but Turner gave the Raptors over 100 reasons not to engage in trade talks for the Bucks big, as Poeltl dominated their matchup.
Poeltl finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, and four stocks (steals plus blocks) on 9-of-14 shooting, and without his performance, the Raptors don’t win this game. Once Poeltl realized Turner wasn’t an interior force and had no shot at stopping him on the glass or scoring on the inside, he started playing super aggressively, and the rest is history.
For a lot of Raptors fans, the image of Turner from Indiana's 2025 Finals run is still engraved in their brains. That shot-blocking, floor-spacing version of Turner could theoretically provide everything Toronto needs from a center. That’s not who Turner is anymore, and the way he played against Toronto should kill any trade buzz he was getting.
Myles Turner's play against the Raptors should kill any remaining trade speculation
Turner went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-4 from three Friday evening. Maybe you’re saying I’m overreacting by acting like one game should tank his trade link to the Raptors because every player has off nights and matchups they just have no response for, but this play isn’t new. This season, Turner is averaging 7.1 points on 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 26.7 percent from three. Oh, and that matchup he struggled in was against a big man who has struggled to stay on the court all season because of bad fouls and poor play.
So for Turner, it wasn’t just a bad night. This game was the culmination of what's been an awful start to the year for him.
Now, two things can be true at the same time. As much as Poeltl's play against Turner and the Bucks should halt any trade proposals that swap the two bigs, that doesn’t mean Jak is off the hook yet. A lot of people seem ready to move on from how brutal he’s been, or feel like this was the turning-point game he needed.
I’m not one of those people.
The Bucks' frontcourt between Turner and Kel’el Ware is motorless and has been outplayed in nearly every matchup they’ve had this season. So while it’s cool to see Jak get his swagger back and hopefully his confidence too, it doesn’t really change that Toronto is still extremely thin at the five, and the Raptors still need to upgrade that spot.
Whether it’s adding a depth piece to eat up some minutes or actually getting a starting-caliber five, something needs to be done. Because going into Monday night's matchup against Memphis, a team with a giant, deep, and talented frontcourt, relying on Jak and Trayce Jackson-Davis as your only true centers isn't going to end well.
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