Jakob Poeltl Will Once Again Be Involved In Trade Discussions Near Deadline

San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl has generated a fair amount of interest in trade talks around the league over the years and he is once again expected to receive interest around the trade deadline.

For decades, the San Antonio Spurs were heavily regarded as one of the best dynasties in NBA history. However, this organization has failed to make the playoffs every year since 2019 and after a 5-2 start to this season, the Spurs have finally come back down to earth and are 6-9 entering Thursday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

The Spurs are young, they are rebuilding and their front-office is constantly putting together long-term plans to try and build another sustainable core group. Right now, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell seem like they are at the forefront of those plans, but what about center Jakob Poeltl?

Currently 27-years-old, Poeltl is currently in the midst of his career and has been playing some of his basketball since the start of the 2021-22 season. Since coming over from the Toronto Raptors following the 2017-18 season, Poeltl has constantly improved as a traditional big man in the low-post and his 10.1 career-high average for rebounds per game this season ranks 13th in the league.

San Antonio is always very secretive when it comes down to what they have planned, but it is really hard to envision them holding onto Jakob Poeltl long-term. It is absolutely a possibility that they could extend his contract next offseason given all the cap space they will have, but set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2023, it may make the most sense for the Spurs to hear out offers near the trade deadline this season for their starting center.

Jakob Poeltl was a hot name on the trade block around the trade deadline a season ago and with multiple teams needing some frontcourt help, specifically rebounding help, Poeltl could once again have the attention of multiple playoff contending teams.

The Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets are two teams near the bottom of the league in rebounding so far this year and the Boston Celtics also find themselves as an intriguing bottom-ten rebounding team in the NBA.

With Robert Williams III still recovering from offseason knee surgery and his timetable for return being unclear, Boston could absolutely be a team that flirts with the idea of adding Poeltl as a “one-year rental” type of talent in pursuit of a title.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently discussed this possibility on The Hoop Collective Podcast, stating, “The question is 'does this team need to go out and get another big man who can defend?’ The name that has come up that people have speculated has been Jakob Poeltl from the Spurs. They did a deal with the Spurs last year, obviously, for Derrick White.”

Windhorst went on to say that the Spurs keeping Poeltl is still a very real possibility, as the Spurs looked to extend him before the start of the 2022-23 season, but that the team failed to do so and in the final year of his contract, his value is one they can capitalize on.

The center position in the NBA has changed through the years and Jakob Poeltl is not really the typical center that teams are now looking for since his game does not extend outside of the paint. However, having a big man who can control the boards on both ends of the floor is still valuable and that is exactly what Poeltl can do.

Teams who are looking to go “all-in” on winning a title will view Poeltl as a key frontcourt option ahead of the trade deadline, which is why a team like the Celtics is certainly one to watch. 

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