Jakob Poeltl’s rough 2025-26 season already has Toronto staring at a contract problem, and that’s why one of the cleanest escape routes could come from a far bigger swing: Rudy Gobert.
Poeltl’s injuries dragged down his season and made that three-year, $84 million extension look worse by the day. The Raptors have ways to try to move off it before it fully settles in, but one of the most intriguing possibilities would be a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the upcoming season if Minnesota’s year goes off the rails early.
That’s the key condition here. This kind of move only makes sense if the Timberwolves are staring at a bad situation and decide to shake things up during the 2026-27 campaign. If that happens, Gobert becomes a name Toronto should be watching closely.
From a money standpoint, the fit is there. Poeltl is under contract through the end of the 2029-30 season, though Toronto could potentially get out one year earlier since the final season is only partially guaranteed. Even so, he’s still a major long-term financial weight.
Gobert is a different kind of commitment. He’s owed $36.5 million in the upcoming season and has a player option for $38 million in 2027-28, which makes him much more of a shorter-term play. And if Toronto wants to bring in that salary, the deal likely forces the Raptors to include either Immanuel Quickley or RJ Barrett.
That part matters too. If Toronto wants to shed Quickley’s money down the line, there’s a path.
If the front office doesn’t want to commit to Barrett on a new extension, that works as well. In other words, a Gobert pursuit could help solve more than one roster and cap issue at once.
On the court, the appeal is obvious. If the Kawhi Leonard trade gets finalized, Toronto could build around a lineup of Quickley, Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Gobert if Barrett is the outgoing piece. The Raptors could also go with Ja’Kobe Walter over CMB for a little more spacing.
If Quickley is the one moved, the first five would project as Shead or a point guard acquired in the deal, Barrett, Leonard, Barnes and Gobert.
Either way, the defensive upside jumps off the page. Barnes and Gobert are both top-five defenders in the NBA, and Gobert has spent his career showing he can anchor a defense almost by himself. That kind of backbone changes the whole shape of a team.
The rebounding boost would matter, too. Gobert has averaged 11.7 rebounds in his NBA career, while Toronto finished tied for 23rd in the 2025-26 regular season with just 42.1 rebounds per game. That’s an area where the Raptors badly need help.
The usual concern with Gobert is what he gives you offensively, but that issue is easier to live with in this setup. Toronto wouldn’t need him to carry the scoring load, which takes away the biggest downside of adding the four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Minnesota isn’t going to part with a player like that unless the season is already headed sideways. But if the Timberwolves stumble early, and if the LaMelo Ball gamble doesn’t work out for them, the Raptors should be ready to ask the question.
In Other News...
Raptors Get An Early Finals Measuring Stick Against West Powerhouses
Before the calendar even gets deep into the 2026-27 season, the Raptors are staring at a stretch that looks a lot like a postseason preview. Four straight games against Denver, Houston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio will put Toronto in front of some of the Wests most imposing talent, from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. For a team trying to measure itself against the leagues best, it is the kind of run that can reveal a lot about where the Raptors stand without waiting for spring.
What makes the stretch so intriguing is not just the quality of the opponents, but the variety of problems they pose. Denver can force a defense to solve Jokics pace and passing, Houston brings a different kind of physical challenge, Oklahoma City has the kind of perimeter pressure that can break a game open, and San Antonio adds another test of how Toronto handles size and skill together. If the Raptors are going to be a Finals-caliber group, this is the sort of early litmus test that should show whether they can survive against a top Western standard. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Murray-Boyles Could Be Torontos Next Breakout Piece
Collin Murray-Boyles gave the Raptors a useful first look in his rookie season, producing 8.5 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists a night while showing the kind of defensive versatility that tends to earn more trust as a young player settles in. For a Toronto team still sorting out its next layer of rotation pieces, his ability to impact the game without needing the ball has made him one of the more interesting names to watch heading into year two.
The expectation now is that Murray-Boyles will have a bigger role, whether that means anchoring the second unit or sliding into the starting five when the lineup demands it. His path could get even clearer if Kawhi Leonard ends up in Toronto, since the front office would then have to balance established star usage with players like Murray-Boyles who can cover ground, defend multiple spots and give the group some needed stability off the bench. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Could Face A Brutal New East Problem Around Haliburton
The Eastern Conference picture is starting to shift in ways that matter for Indiana, with the Pacers already looking ahead to a 2026-27 season built around a healthy Tyrese Haliburton and a new center in Ivica Zubac. For a team trying to keep pace near the top of the East, the timing matters, because the bracket they are chasing could look a lot different by then than it does now.
One reason Toronto is worth watching is the possibility of adding another major piece to its own mix, which would only deepen the challenge for teams like Indiana. The leagues findings around Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers have opened the door to a scenario that could put the Raptors back in the spotlight in a hurry, and if that path keeps moving forward, the East could get even more crowded around Haliburton. [Read more 🡒]