Raptors fans are largely over the Jakob Poeltl experience, especially after a strong first season from Collin Murray-Boyles, who shone in the playoffs while Poeltl mostly didn’t play great after dealing with a back injury throughout the season.
Scottie Barnes voiced a very different opinion in his end-of-season media availability.
“I think Jak was unbelievable for us,” Barnes said. “Jak helps me in so many different ways: his screens, the way he finds spots on the floor for me when I’m able to make those playmaking plays, and his touch around the rim. We need Jak on this team. Jak is so important for us.”
He also added, “Especially that last game, I felt like he should have been out there more, but he’s instrumental for our team, and we need him.”
He came to Poeltl’s defense once more on a Twitch stream on June 18, saying, “We’re not gonna disrespect Jakob Poeltl. We’re not gonna do that.“
While it is great to see Barnes step up as a teammate and publicly have Poeltl’s back when the (social) media discourse around him isn’t very positive, it should do little to sway the Raptors’ opinion on Poeltl. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that the Raptors were a team known to be looking for a center upgrade. That tells us everything we need to know about their stance on Poeltl. They wouldn’t be looking for a center upgrade if they considered him an “instrumental“ part of the team. Whether he is moved this offseason or later down the line, Poeltl’s days as a Raptor seem to be numbered.
Replacing Poeltl could be more complicated than the Raptors would like
The Raptors don’t have a lot of money to play with in free agency, and Jakob Poeltl’s contract has proven to be difficult to move, so bringing in that center upgrade the front office is looking for is a lot more complicated than it sounds.
The Bulls are reportedly open to absorbing bad contracts with their cap space in exchange for draft capital to fuel their rebuild. The Raptors have plenty of draft assets, so offloading Poeltl to the Bulls is a real possibility. It would free up a spot in the front court rotation and money the Raptors could use to bring in another center.
However, is moving on from Poeltl and his ill-advised contract extension really worth losing out on a first-round pick? The Raptors’ roster is set to become very expensive very soon—with or without Poeltl. That’s how championship contenders are built. First-round picks provide cheap depth on rosters built around stars, and the Raptors can find contributors outside of the lottery. They picked Ja’Kobe Walter 19th overall, and he finished his second season as one of the most reliable 3-point shooters on the team and started in the playoffs.
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