With the Kawhi Leonard trade finally official, the Raptors are a step closer to shaping a contender around Scottie Barnes. But the big question hanging over the roster is still the same one plenty of fans would circle first: center.
Jakob Poeltl gives Toronto a real baseline at the position when he’s available. He brings size, rebounds, and screens.
The catch is that availability has become a major part of the conversation. Poeltl played only 46 games last season after logging 50 and 57 in the two seasons before that.
That makes the center spot harder to solve than it sounds, especially with Toronto working under a tight financial crunch. Poeltl’s extension is part of that squeeze, and it’s the kind of contract other teams don’t seem eager to absorb in a deal.
The larger issue, though, is league-wide. As Sam Quinn said on the Third Apron podcast, reliable playoff centers are scarce.
“There’s kind of a game of center musical chairs going on right now where there are maybe like 16 or 17 centers in the entire NBA that are really reliably playoff-viable, and the teams that don’t have them are really scrambling to find them or trying to find alternative solutions.”
That reality makes Toronto’s search even tougher. If the Raptors are looking for a clear upgrade, the market isn’t exactly built to help them.
There is still a path where Poeltl stabilizes the position. If he stays healthy and turns in a bounce-back year, his contract becomes a little easier to live with and potentially easier to move later. Toronto could also simply keep him and settle for solid, even if not ideal, production at center.
But if that version doesn’t show up, the Raptors will have to get creative. One fallback is to trim Poeltl’s workload and use Collin Murray-Boyles at the five in lineups that can handle an undersized look.
The team also has Nate Bittle, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Trey Jemison III, with the hope that one of them can help at least during the regular season. Kyle Anderson is another option for some small-ball five minutes.
If none of that works and Poeltl still isn’t giving Toronto what it needs by the trade deadline, the Raptors may have to attach draft assets to his contract just to move him in a deal for an upgrade.
Quinn floated one example: Anthony Davis to Toronto for Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, another salary, and picks if the Wizards decided to trade the former. He also pointed out the financial hurdle, noting that the move would push the Raptors into the first apron.
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The move gives Agbaji a chance to join training camp and fight for a roster spot, but he is hardly alone in that chase. New York is filling out its camp group with several Exhibit 9 signings while carrying just two open roster spots, so the competition around him is already crowded and the margin for error is thin. [Read more 🡒]