Five trades for Toronto to get off of Jakob Poeltl’s contract

Trade season is upon us, and we’re going to be covering five trades that Toronto could make in order to shed a member of the team that has been in numerous trade rumours, Jakob Poeltl. Will Toronto be able to get rid of his contract and get a deal done? Or are the rumours just a big smoke screen?

1. Raptors land Okongwu

We start the list with a bang, as if you look at the win analysis, Atlanta loses out on 10 wins based on their projections, which tells you all you need to know about the former Chino Hills star, Onyeka Okungwu. He is just a bit undersized for the center position at 6 feet 10 inches, but he’s a solid defender even for his size, averaging 1.2 steals and 1 block per game, along with a defensive win share of 1.8. In fact, he’s had a positive defensive win share his whole career. He is a great modern-day big, averaging 16.3 points, and he can shoot the three ball, with a 36.9 three-point percentage on a whopping 5.4 attempts per game. Of course, he rebounds well with an average of 7.9 and can even play make with 3.4 assists per game. Literally anything you need, Okongwu’s got it. Now, the hard sell for this would be that the Hawks are going to charge probably two first-round picks minimum with Poeltl, and anything more than that can lead to dangerous territory, but it’s definitely worth a shot for Bobby Webster and the front office of the Toronto Raptors.

2. Toronto acquire Nic Claxton

Another relatively young center, Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets, is still just 26 (turning 27 on April 17). Claxton doesn’t offer the same versatility as Onyeka Okongwu, as his career three-point shooting percentage is 19.2, but he is also very versatile outside of that. Averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists on 58.4 percent shooting from the field, along with 0.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He also has never been negative in the defensive win shares category, and his lone flaw is his limited shooting, as even his free throw percentage is not great at 64.7 percent. He would, however, come at a much lower price, I imagine, as one first-round pick plus maybe a second round or two would potentially be enough to do the trick for a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets team.

3. Raptors get Kalkbrenner

I won’t lie, most of these trades are very ambitious and are reliant on Toronto attaching a first-round pick, maybe even more, but what if the Hornets are ready to give up on Kalkbrenner already? The 7-foot-1-inch center has only just gotten his career going as he’s in his rookie year, but the Charlotte Hornets are currently running Moussa Diabete as their starting center, so perhaps they would be willing to part ways with the giant who offers great rim protection, already averaging 1.5 blocks per game along with 6.3 rebounds. Again, picks would have to be involved on Toronto’s end, but perhaps giving a call for Kalkbrenner could lead to something, as you never know what these general managers might do these days after that Luka Doncic trade. Raptors would also get back Mason Plumlee, who can serve as an emergency backup as he’s always been a solid playmaker, plus Grant Williams for the salary match.

4. Nurkic finds himself in Toronto

Speaking of playmaking bigs, Jusuf Nurkic might be one of the more underrated playmaking centers in this league, as he’s been on a tear this season when in the lineup for the tanking Utah Jazz. After a rough stint in Phoenix with the Kevin Durant-led superteam, it looked like Nurkic’s time in the NBA could be over, but he’s rebounded very well since leaving the Suns. Just like Okongwu, he offers the floor spacing versatility that Poeltl doesn’t, shooting 34.4 percent beyond the arc, but he comes with the flaw of poor rim protection, averaging just 0.6 blocks per game this season, even though his career average sits at a very respectable 1.6. Perhaps playing for a contender can light the fire under Nurkic on the defensive end, and this could honestly come at a cheaper cost than most of these trades, perhaps one first-round pick or even some prospects in the deal would get the offer complete.

5. Toronto attempt to roll back the clock on Timelord

This one is kind of a gamble as Robert Williams III is quite the injury-prone player, but once upon a time, “Timelord” was one of the premier rim-protecting centers of the league, or at least looked like he could become one. This trade should be the cheapest cost-wise for Toronto, as I don’t think it would cost too much more than Jakob Poeltl for this deal to go down. Maybe some second-round picks or even a prospect might be enough to push it over the finish line, but it’s the Raptors front office I’m worried about. Would they be willing to take the chance on an undersized (listed at 6 feet 9 inches)and injury-prone center? Yang Hansen, the rookie out of China, brings back the size that Toronto needs, but is a prospect that was very hyped up in the off-season, during draft time and summer league. Could he potentially live up to the hype? A big gamble for Bobby Webster, but if things play out accordingly, it could be a great trade for the Raptors.

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