Jakob Poeltl doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.
The Toronto Raptors veteran center is averaging career-highs in points (15.4) and rebounds (10.9) this season.
Poeltl is under contract through the 2025-26 season. Then, he has a $19.5 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
There has been a lot of speculation on if the Raptors will try and trade Poeltl before the trade deadline, but according to NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Toronto has not made him available for trade:
“For now, Toronto hasn’t made Poeltl available on the trade market, but it won’t keep executives from keeping tabs on the 7-foot center should that stance change closer to the trade deadline.
From Toronto’s perspective, Poeltl fits with the young core because he doesn’t need the ball to be effective, is a consummate pro who does whatever is asked of him by the coaching staff without any pushback, and his contract is valuable looking ahead.
Should Poeltl remain with Toronto beyond the trade deadline, keep an eye on potential contract extension talks in the summer. At that point, Toronto will know how much it’ll cost to retain Poeltl long-term and how to proceed.”
The Raptors are already thin with their frontcourt depth, so losing Poeltl would create a massive hole at the center position. Poeltl has been valuable to the team with how he stabilizes their offense and defense. He’s been one of the best rebounding bigs in the league so it makes sense why the Raptors would want to keep him.
If the Raptors can add a top-5 talent in the upcoming draft and have everyone healthy with Poeltl in the middle going into next season, they could be poised for a huge bounce back year.
NBA insider reveals expected asking price for Bruce Brown & Kelly Olynyk
Even if the Toronto Raptors don’t make Jakob Poeltl available for a trade, that doesn’t mean Toronto won’t still be active at the trade deadline as a seller.
An NBA insider recently revealed the expected asking price for veterans Bruce Brown & Kelly Olynyk.
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