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Josh Lewenberg: Rajakovic on Poeltl’s early-season struggles: “We’re going to take a look at film. We’re not going to pass any judgements. We know that he does for us, how much he can contribute… He’s going to be ready. I’m a big Jak believer and he’s going to do well for us.”
Josh Lewenberg: Some rotation talk. Darko says they'll need to get CMB more than the 22 mins he averaged last year, can't only be playing backup C mins. "He's so good & improved so much that he needs to share the court with Jak." Means they'll go 9 deep most nights (or 10th man in limited mins)
Josh Lewenberg: Jakob Poeltl: "I thought it was a really good summer. Focused on the back a lot. I've modified my strength and conditioning training quite a bit to try to get ahead of it and get my body in the best position for a long season."
Blake Murphy: Darko Rajakovic says Collin Murray-Boyles will see time at both the four and five, potentially even alongside Jakob Poeltl. (Pretty clear how the smaller lineups will function, that pairing will be interesting to see what they can do spacing-wise.) 1/2
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Omer Osman: Bobby Webster on Jakob Pöltl’s health/back injury: “Jak looks good. Time will tell as far as we ramp up to training camp. He’s in good spirits, good shape.” “Going home is good for anyone, and I think he’s come back with the motivation and willingness to keep his body as healthy as he possibly can.”
Dante Exum was coming off an injury-plagued season in which he had only played 14 games. Dario Saric, Jakob Poeltl and Juancho Hernangomez signed while the league was still in the middle of figuring out COVID. Coming off the bubble, some players took what money they could while they could. Isaiah Jackson signed when coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon. The major takeaway here: Restricted free agency isn’t necessarily preventing players from getting paid. But it is preventing players from changing teams. Which is kind of the idea! Overall, restricted free agency can be tough on players. It seems to be getting tougher on players. But there have been adjustments. In our four-year sample size under the current CBA, only 24 players out of 120 have reached restricted free agency. That means that extensions are happening at a greater rate than ever. That’s in addition to teams cutting loose players they aren’t going to extend or re-sign.
The Kings nearly traded Domantas Sabonis to the Toronto Raptors at the deadline in February -- a move he would've welcomed, a source with knowledge of the situation said -- for a package that included RJ Barrett, but the Raptors were unable to get off the three-year, $84 million remaining on Jakob Poeltl's contract, which doomed the deal.
Poeltl has also most commonly been packaged with his teammate RJ Barrett in outgoing deals, as Toronto fans have used their combined 2026-27 salary of $49.1 million to go star-hunting in our trade machine. Overall, 84.4 percent of theoretical Poeltl trades in our trade machine have included Barrett.
NBA sources I’ve spoken with have connected the Raptors to Bucks centre Myles Turner, with the possibility that Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl, third-year wing Gradey Dick and potentially draft compensation being the core of a deal that would net Toronto the veteran big with credentials as a rim protector and three-point threat.
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Darren Wolfson: "I just I've always come to the conclusion, if Rudy Gobert is playing 30 to 35 minutes a night, you're not winning a championship. I've thought that for years, I continue to think that, but he's an incredible floor raiser. Like if you're Charlotte, he would be great. If you're New Orleans, think about hiring defensive-minded head coach Jamal Mosley. What about New Orleans for Gobert? Toronto. They were good, but Jakob Poeltl, like no. Toronto's had interest in Gobert for a while. Chicago too, but I don't know exactly what Chicago's thinking, they just hired a new front office. But like you can trade Rudy Gobert."
Josh Lewenberg: Webster says Poeltl was behind the 8-ball with the back injury in camp. Message to him going into summer was to get healthy & get back to last season's form. "He's high IQ, high instincts, people know what he means to this team when he's at his best...We'll be on him this summer"
As an example, leading up to trade deadline in February, the Raptors were working hard to try and make a deal that would land them Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies before he was ultimately traded to the Utah Jazz in a package that included three first round picks, according to multiple league sources. The sticking point was finding someone to take on Jakob Poeltl’s four years and $104 million the 30-year-old has owed to him.
William Lou: "Me personally, I think Jakob was unbelievable for us. Yak helps me in so many different ways ... He's instrumental for our team and we need him" Scottie Barnes comes to Jakob Poeltl's defense
