"It's no secret that Toronto made some questionable choices with their extension offers to Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. Quickley was signed to a five-year, $175 million extension as a restricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. In hindsight, this summer revealed that IQ's contract essentially broke the RFA market, as many players in his position tried to justify similar figures, but no other NBA teams were willing to match that price."
"The Raptors proved they were all-in on the Jakob train, increasing his salary to a total of $104 million over the next four years with a controversial extension this past summer. In the immediate aftermath, I tried to play devil's advocate a little and noted that this move was a "necessary evil" for Toronto, given history showing horrid results without Poeltl in the lineup."
"Now that I think about it, though, I truly wonder how much of that impact is due to Jakob Poeltl's presence and skillset specifically, or if we're just being led to believe he's a huge help because he's the Raptors' only real center. If Toronto had other options - players on cheaper deals, slightly younger, and not dealing with a bad back - would Jakob still have such a significant impact compared to those guys?"
Toronto committed large, long-term salaries to Immanuel Quickley (five years, $175 million) and Jakob Poeltl (four years, $104 million), creating concerns about roster flexibility and market distortion. Quickley's RFA deal reset expectations and prevented other teams from matching similar offers. Poeltl's extension addressed immediate lineup shortcomings but prompts questions about whether his perceived value stems from skill or a lack of affordable center alternatives. Both players can perform at a high level when healthy, yet the contracts could limit payroll flexibility, increase aging and injury risks, and reduce the ability to pursue younger, cheaper options.
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