Less Talked About Raptors Trade Targets Part 3: Jakob Poeltl

 Ok maybe this one isn't less talked about. I pretty much started with these titles and then as I've gone on I've realized all these guys are pretty talked about they're just not Bruce Brown. Anyway, this one would make me sad! I've been a Jak defender since they made the trade. Any deal we make for Jakob Poeltl is going to leave the Raptors with a gaping hole at center. It will certainly lead to more losses, but they will need to find a replacement next season or else they risk running Scottie into the ground battling opposing 5s. That being said, Jak is having his best statistical season ever, he's expanded the range on his floater and is always solid at all the little things required of a big man. He'd be a locked in rotation piece on most playoff teams and can really help a team push over the edge for a regular season push. If ever there was a time to trade Jakob Poeltl, it's right now. Lets see where we can ship him off to: 

Phoenix Suns

This one is really tough to make work for a lot of reasons. The Suns are over the second apron meaning they can't consolidate salaries to make a trade work. Jakob Poeltl makes $19.5m this year meaning the only player that would make the salaries work is Jusuf Nurkic who has this year and next left on his contract and is looking all kinds of rough in Phoenix. The Suns also don't have any meaningful draft capital until the 2030s making their assets really hard to accept. That being said, I'm only including them here because of how much better Jak would make the Suns. If the Suns had an actual decent rim protector instead of Mason Plumlee and Jusuf Nurkic, along with all the talent they have on offense, they could actually make a push towards the top of the east. Still though, this would be essentially the Raptors gifting the Suns a player for no reason and I find that highly unlikely. 

LA Lakers

The Lakers seem to be in constant search of a center to take the load off Anthony Davis and for good reason. Their championship in 2020 was built off being a bigger team than everyone else. Jakob Poeltl isn't going to come in and be a Jokic stopper, but having another body to throw at him can't hurt as well. In terms of assets, the Lakers could offer Rui Hachimura and salary filler along with some later year draft capital that might somewhat intrigue the Raptors. This one really comes down to how much the Raps like Rui Hachimura, he's a solid 3/4 tweener who can make some tough shots on a good night but at this stage of his career doesn't seem to have much upside beyond that. This is another one where Jak would help the Lakers way more than any asset they can provide will help the Raptors. 

Memphis Grizzlies

I have to say the Grizzlies are pretty awesome again. When the Raptors played them last we got to see Zach Edey have the best game of his young career which was awesome and had me dreaming big about Canada's next Olympics run. Still, Edey is a rookie and besides him their options at center all have some big flaws. If the Grizzlies would like a veteran option to turn to at the 5 I think they should be making calls for Jak. This one makes the most sense for the Raptors as well, the Grizzlies have a ton of salaries and trade exceptions that could work in return as well as all of their draft picks for Raptors fans to salivate over. The question really is do the Grizzlies even view Jak as an upgrade over their current options? I think he is slightly but maybe not enough to warrant a first round pick or two and no first to me should mean no Jak. 

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are another team that's been really fun if you're a neutral fan. I've long said they're like the Bengals of the NBA, wouldn't surprise you if they beat the Celtics but also wouldn't surprise you if they lost to the Wizards, that's fun. They could get a deal done for Jak with just Clint Capela's expiring contract and draft capital. The question for them is do they view Jak as a meaningful upgrade over what Capela brings? We already know that Trae plays great with a lob threat which Poeltl definitely isn't. Jak is probably a better player than Capela throughout the course of a game, but is he a better fit in Atlanta? Still I like this one best for the Raptors as they get an innings eater at the 5 for the rest of the season and could potentially get some mid ranged draft capital from the Hawks. 

And that's that! I think I've learned from this exercise that it's hard to find a Jakob Poeltl trade that makes a lot of sense for both sides, and that's ok! Jak has 3 years left on his very reasonable contract and the Raptors are going to need a center for the next 3 years. This may just be one of those guys that it makes more sense to hold on to! Raps Celtics tonight, screw the tank go Raptors!