With the unofficial start of trade season underway, the rumors have begun.
For the Toronto Raptors they have a couple of veteran pieces who they could look to shop around the deadline.
One of those players is Jakob Poeltl, who is playing the best basketball of his career. Poeltl has been a steady force inside for the Raptors and if Toronto feels he does not align with their future plans, they could look to cash in on a deal for him.
However, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Poeltl is unlikely to be dealt this season:
“At his age and his number, I believe the sources I’ve talked with who predict he’s more likely to be part of the Raptors’ bounce-back next season and beyond rather than dangled at the trade deadline for whatever combination of young talent and draft assets a rebuilding team might be hunting for. With Barnes and Immanuel Quickley already on long-term deals, it’s hard to imagine the Raptors having another, um, lottery-focused season a year from now. The goal is to swoop in and get lucky in the lottery this summer and hopefully start pushing to get back into contention a pretty shaky Eastern Conference.”
If the Raptors do trade Poeltl, they could wait a while before they find his replacement. If the team feels like they can still secure a top-5 pick with him in the lineup, then holding off on a trade would give the Raptors a balanced team going into next season.
However, it ultimately comes down to the deal. If the Raptors get a home run haul for Poeltl, they would have to consider it. But trading Poeltl for the sake of trading him, doesn’t make sense.
There are a lot of contending teams who could be in the market for a center, so the Raptors could field a lot of calls for him. But given this update from Grange and just the general feeling of the team, a Poeltl trade seems unlikely at this point.
The Raptors will likely still be open to trading other veterans on their roster like Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher who has fallen out of the rotation.
As the trade deadline gets closer, expect more rumors to pop up involving the Raptors.
Raptors share update on Scottie Barnes’ ankle injury
Scottie Barnes’ ankle injury doesn’t appear too serious.
The Toronto Raptors star forward was seen wearing a walking boot and was moving without restriction on Sunday. Barnes suffered a right ankle injury against the New York Knicks on Dec. 9.
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