"The Raptors traded a future Top-10 pick to acquire Poeltl, then have handed him significant financial investments multiple times over the last four years. That includes a contract extension this past summer that was wholly unnecessary, adding three additional years to a deal that still had two years remaining. No one was beating down the door to steal Poeltl in free agency. The same offer they gave him would have been available in a year. Yet they paid through the nose to lock down the league's 23rd-best center, and now a decision that looked bad at the time appears to be even worse."
"With the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors could have drafted their own center of the future in Zach Edey. Or Kel'el Ware. Yves Missi and DaRon Holmes show some upside. They could also have gone in a different direction, drafting a wing like Matas Buzelis or Jaylon Tyson, or a guard like Jared McCain or Devin Carter. Swapping Poeltl's deal for an inexpensive upside swing would have changed a lot for this team's future."
The Toronto Raptors traded a future top-10 pick and repeatedly invested financially to secure Jakob Poeltl, including a three-year extension added to an active contract. The extension locked in a player viewed roughly as the league's 23rd-best center and who likely would have been available in free agency a year later. The Raptors passed on multiple 2024 draft options that offered upside at center, wing, or guard. Poeltl has appeared in only 21 games this season while battling multiple injuries, most recently a back issue, and has produced underwhelming on-court numbers when available.
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