The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly checked in on Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl.
After sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, the Lakers are in need of a big man less than 48 hours away from the NBA Trade Deadline.
The Lakers have inquired about Poeltl, but prying him away from the Raptors will be tough. The Raptors are holding out for an offer for Poeltl that would include a first-round pick, per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange:
“The Lakers have inquired about him [Poeltl], but the sense is the Raptors are holding out for an offer that would include a first-round pick (likely with a certain level of protection) and the only one the Lakers have left to offer is a 2031 first they’ve been clutching tightly for years.
The Lakers know it would be pretty hard — not impossible — to get him,” said one source of Poeltl as a trade possibility.”
It’s no surprise that the Raptors aren’t coming down on their asking price for Poeltl. They paid a steep price to acquire him. They ended up trading the 8th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to the Spurs in that deal. That pick got flipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves for an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a top-10 protected 2030 pick swap.
The Raptors still see Poeltl as an “essential piece to help them transition from their current rebuild,” per Grange.
NBA insider Marc Stein also reported that the Raptors are “resisting mounting trade interest” in Poeltl.
For the Lakers, they definitely need a center if they want to compete for a title this season. If they don’t land Poeltl, other available centers on the trade market include Nikola Vucevic and Jonas Valanciunas, but both centers lack the defense that Poeltl brings to the table. Time is running out for the Lakers to land a center.
RJ Barrett in concussion protocol, out vs. Knicks
RJ Barrett has entered concussion protocol and he will be out for the Toronto Raptors matchup against the New York Knicks, the team announced.
Barrett slammed his head against the court after a hard fall during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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