The Raptors are reportedly the most active team ahead of the deadline, and the coach gave his input on who he'd like to start at center for the team moving forward.
With the NBA trade deadline officially just eight days away, urgency has begun to set in for teams looking to make a move. There are plenty of reasons for making a trade midseason, but for the Toronto Raptors, it seems they are looking to gain some financial flexibility. Currently, Toronto is $967k above the luxury tax and would be forced to pay $14 million as a result.
Whether this is the main priority or acquiring an available superstar, it’s no secret that general manager Bobby Webster has been active in his first trade deadline with control of the team’s personnel decisions. Specifically, the three names most mentioned to be potentially moved are Immanuel Quickley (4-years, $130 million), RJ Barrett (3-years, ~$57.3 million), and Jakob Poeltl (5-years, ~$123 million).
Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett (9) | © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
These three players are all in very different situations at the moment, regardless of their contracts. Quickley just received Eastern Conference Player of the Week for his stellar play over the four-game win streak, Barrett has played two games since returning from a seven-game absence and finding his rhythm, and Poeltl is currently in the midst of an 18-game absence streak with no timetable to return from injury.
As the deadline approaches, head coach Darko Rajakovic was asked about his input to management about potential trades.
“It’s a front office decision,” said Rajakovic. “I love every single player that we have on the roster. I’m focusing on today, I’m focusing [on] how to help this group of players. There’s one guy that I really, really like that I would like him to join our team, his name is Jakob Poeltl. So that guy can definitely help us in any trades to be our starting center.”
Since losing the Austrian big man to injury, the Raptors have been playing without a true center, and it shows. Scottie Barnes has become the primary rim protector both on the ball and in help defense, and Toronto has struggled to rebound (they rank 23rd in the NBA since the New Year with 52.0 rebounds per game). Because of this, many believe Webster and the Raptors should look to add front-court depth at the deadline to fill out the roster heading into the postseason.
When he’s healthy, the former No. 9 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has proven to be exactly the role player they need. Supplying a pick-and-roll threat, rebounding, and rim protection, Poeltl provides little ego and consistent production that will only help Barnes save some energy on the defensive end and add more cutting to an already well-balanced offense.
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) | © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
While he will need to be packaged with either Barrett or Quickley to get a superstar like Domantas Sabonis in return, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him depart if nothing substantial is found. If less than $1 million is needed to be under the luxury tax limit, there may be a workaround like cutting a player rather than trading away a starter on a 5-year deal. Only time will tell which big decision Webster chooses to maneuver this important deadline.