A week after the Raptors’ biggest jolt of the offseason, one problem still hangs over the roster: center.
Kawhi Leonard is back in Toronto, and that alone changes the conversation around the team. But the trade doesn’t magically solve everything, and the biggest unanswered question may be the one in the middle of the floor. The Raptors still have real concerns about three-point shooting, RJ Barrett’s place in the long-term picture, and, most urgently, whether Jakob Poeltl can be trusted as the starting big man on a team with bigger ambitions.
That’s the heart of the issue. Toronto built plenty of hope around Poeltl’s second stint, believing he could finally be the long-term answer at center.
There was a time when that made sense. He looked like one of the league’s more underrated bigs, the kind of steady presence every contender needs.
But the picture has changed. A puzzling extension, injury trouble, and a lack of physicality have all chipped away at that optimism, leaving Poeltl in a much different light now.
The regular season offered some mixed signals, with a few flashes of the old version still showing up. Then the playoffs arrived, and the concern turned into something much uglier.
Toronto’s lone 7-footer was limited, struggled to make a real impact, and got outmatched by Cleveland’s stronger frontcourt. At the same time, rookie Collin Murray-Boyles moved past him in the rotation.
Murray-Boyles looks like a strong draft swing for the Raptors, and his ability to play small-ball five gives Toronto some flexibility. Still, that doesn’t erase the need for a true center option.
Right now, a week into free agency, the Raptors’ center room is basically Poeltl and Murray-Boyles. That’s thin, and a lot of the more appealing targets are already gone.
The Kawhi return also brings back memories of Toronto’s 2019 title run, and Marc Gasol is part of that story for a reason. Leonard was the face of the moment, but Gasol was just as vital to the championship push.
He was already near the end of his career, yet he was still far ahead of the Poeltl version Toronto is dealing with now. Gasol brought defense, passing, basketball IQ, and a reliable three-point shot.
That’s why the concern is so obvious if Toronto runs into a playoff front line next season, whether it’s the 76ers, the Cavaliers again, or the Knicks. Can the Raptors really lean on Poeltl in his current form? And if not, what’s the move - keep him, or try to find a trade partner?
Either way, Toronto needs a backup plan. The Raptors can’t afford to burn through their only two center options, especially Murray-Boyles.
There’s always the chance Poeltl rebounds and this all looks too pessimistic in hindsight. But based on everything that’s happened, the safer bet is that the concern sticks around.
Toronto still has the trade market and some modest free-agent options to explore. It just can’t treat this as a minor detail. This could end up being the flaw that matters most.
In Other News...
Raptors Reunion With DeMar May Have Been Doomed All Along
The Raptors long-ago pivot to Kawhi Leonard still hangs over any conversation about a DeMar DeRozan reunion, because the idea has always been about more than nostalgia. Toronto has spent years trying to balance star power, lineup fit and the cultural pull that comes with being the citys team, and DeRozans name keeps surfacing whenever the roster looks like it could use another proven scorer. Even the outside chatter has reflected that tension, with some around the league wondering whether the franchises identity, not just its basketball fit, would make a return feel complicated.
Sam Quinn of CBS has argued DeRozan is not the cleanest fit for what Toronto would need now, suggesting the Raptors could instead lean on staggered usage with Scottie Barnes and Leonard to create offense. Drakes presence in the Toronto conversation only adds another layer, since his influence around the team has often been part of the backdrop whenever old Raptors ties come up. For now, the reunion remains more of a debate than a transaction, and the real question is whether the organization ever decides the basketball case is strong enough to override everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Urged To Reunite Kawhi With A Familiar Franchise Star
The Raptors offseason has already taken a dramatic turn with the move that brought Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, and the front office now faces the harder part of building a roster around him. One name that has surfaced in that conversation is DeMar DeRozan, whose release by Sacramento has reopened the door to a possible reunion with the franchise that helped define his prime years.
There is appeal in the idea of adding a veteran scorer who could steady second units and take some pressure off the stars, but the fit is not especially clean. Toronto would have to weigh shooting concerns and the overlap between DeRozans game, Leonards usage and Scottie Barnes role as an offense driver when Leonard sits, which makes this a more complicated basketball question than a nostalgic one. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Lowry Day Just Turned Kawhi Leonard's Return Into Pressure
Kyle Lowrys day in Toronto was supposed to be about celebration, and in a lot of ways it was. The franchise retired No. 7 in his honor, giving the longest-tenured face of the Raptors era a proper hometown salute, and Lowry used the moment to look back on the years that made him a fixture in team history. It was the kind of ceremony that reminded everyone how much of the modern Raptors identity was built around his edge, his leadership and the title chase that changed the organization forever.
But the return of Kawhi Leonard has shifted the conversation from memory to expectation. Lowry made it clear the bar is no longer nostalgia, and the front office has been just as direct about the goal now that Leonard is back in the fold. With the 2026-27 season in view, the message around the team is unmistakable: this is about winning another championship, and anything less would feel like a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]