Raptors Need to Focus on the Future With All Trade Options On the Table

For all the trade talk surrounding Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby these days, the Toronto Raptors might want to consider seeing what’s out there for Jakob Poeltl.

That’s not to say it’s time to force a trade involving Poeltl, who the Toronto Raptors acquired for a top-six protected 2024 first-round pick at last year’s trade deadline. Moves out of desperation are rarely a good idea. But on the heels of a 125-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it’s only becoming more apparent that Toronto’s goals this year need to be about building a roster around Scottie Barnes. For that to happen, a Poeltl deal must be considered.

Nothing is going to happen soon or maybe at all this season. But Friday marked the first day that a deal involving Poeltl could even be viable. The vast majority of players who signed contracts this past summer are now eligible to be traded. For Toronto, that means Poeltl, Dennis Schröder, Jalen McDaniels, and Garrett Temple are all now trade-eligible.

Against the Hawks, Poeltl showed a lot of what he’s brought to the Raptors since the team acquired him last February. He’s a high-end pick-and-roll roll man who ranks among the league’s best when it comes to scoring in the paint. He came into Friday night second in the NBA in field goal percentage, shooting 72% from the floor thanks largely to the fact that he doesn’t attempt shots further than 10 to 14 feet from the hoop.

If he can get the ball close enough to the rim, he’s almost automatic. He was a perfect 7-for-7 against Atlanta, scoring 12 of his 15 points before halftime. Each of those buckets came with an assist, usually from Barnes or OG Anunoby who had success collapsing the Hawks defense before dropping a dump-off pass to the Austrian big man.

The problem with Poeltl is he’s just OK.

He’s not strong enough in the paint to really deter shots like Rudy Gobert or Joel Embiid. Stronger bigs like Clint Capela can bully him for buckets at the rim. And yet, he’s also not quick nor versatile enough to switch on the perimeter or hold his own even in an emergency against crafty guards. For Trae Young, an isolation attempt against Poeltl is a near-perfect scoring opportunity.

"Yeah, it's hard like switching with Jak," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. "With a player that’s not as great a shooter or stretching the floor, it’s easier to do that and switch with (Poeltl) as well. With Jak, it opens up too much space when (Young) drives the ball to the rim."

Of course, Young burned Toronto with a flurry of deep three-pointers including a logo three early in the fourth quarter to sick the Hawks to a 12-points lead. But as effective for Young was his in-the-paint scoring that seemed completely unfazed by Poeltl’s presence. He racked up 16 of his 38 points in the paint and added 11 assists, often on kick-out passes when Toronto collapsed around him and forced the Raptors to go small briefly late in the fourth quarter.

When Poeltl did check in, he gave up a costly offensive rebound to Capela late in the fourth quarter, one of 16 offensive rebounds the Hawks snagged. Poeltl then took his fourth foul caught trying to guard Young on the perimeter. Young later nailed a floater right over Poeltl’s outstretched arms as the Hawks jumped back ahead by 20 and iced the game for good in the final minutes.

"We know that they're doing a really good job of crashing boards and sending multiple people there because of the huge number of threes that they take as a team," Rajaković said. "Take a look at rebounds there, second chance points, and free throw line difference. With everything else we can kind of live, but those were the main two things for us."

Offensively, Poeltl’s fit has always been the bigger problem for the Raptors. The fact that he’s a non-shooter from anywhere further than the free-throw line means Toronto’s spacing is tight. It’s tough to have two non-shooters on the court together in the modern NBA and more often than not the Raptors are playing with three or four average to below-average floor spacers at a time.

Poeltl’s whole value in Toronto has been clouded by what’s been said about him.

After re-signing him this past summer, team president Masai Ujiri called Poeltl a “championship piece.”

“You can put him on any of the teams (still playing) except the ones that already have great centers,” Ujiri said in April. “But you can put a player like that on that team and he fits in right away.”

But realistically who around the league is looking for a big like Poeltl?

Almost every team either has a center just as good as Toronto’s big man or has a young prospect who could be as good as Poeltl. The Dallas Mavericks, for example, seemed like a fit but suddenly rookie Dereck Lively II appears to be their center of the future. Maybe the Phoenix Suns would be interested but what could they even offer Toronto in a deal? The San Antonio Spurs were said to be interested in re-acquiring Poeltl this past summer but it’s unlikely they’d still be interested in him now.

Not only has the center position been devalued in the modern NBA, but bigs who aren’t switchable and can’t space the floor are essentially dinosaurs these days.

In Toronto, the future is clear. This organization is going to go as far as Barnes takes it. It wasn’t the prettiest night for the third-year forward, but 23 points, four rebounds, and eight assists on a mediocre night shows how high Barnes’ floor is these days. But until Toronto surrounds him with players that suit his skill set, players who can shoot, space the floor, and won’t clog the paint, the fit of on this Raptors roster is going to be awkward at best.

Up Next: Charlotte Hornets

The Raptors will continue their homestand on Monday night when the Charlotte Hornets come to town for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.