The San Antonio Spurs have reportedly been “very active” on the trade market ahead of the NBA's deadline, and more than half a dozen teams have inquired about center Jakob Poeltl, including the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, according to LJ Ellis of SpursTalk.
The Austrian center has averaged 12.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season in 26.3 minutes per game, and is shooting 63 percent from the field and 58.2 percent from the free throw line. The Spurs have been looking for two first round draft picks in any trade involving Poeltl, according to SpursTalk.
Over the last months and a half, the Raptors have reportedly remained focused on completing a trade for Poeltl, with their offers to the Spurs becoming “increasingly aggressive” over time.
Toronto is said to have multiple offers on the table for the 27-year-old, and a league source told SpursTalk that the one gaining the most traction was a three-team trade that also involved Gary Trent Jr.
The Celtics have also been very active in trying to acquire Poeltl, reportedly seeing him as the perfect fit to fortify their frontcourt as they gear up for another hopefully deep playoff run.
Boston's latest offer for Poeltl includes a completely unprotected 2028 first-round pick, with the option to swap firsts with the Celtics in 2028 as long as the pick isn't the first overall selection. That pick swap in question was acquired by San Antonio as part of the Derrick White trade.
“In this proposed Poeltl deal, the Spurs would get the 2028 first round pick outright and the first overall pick protection would be dropped,” SpursTalk reports.
Other teams calling the Spurs on Poeltl include the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers; both teams have notable centers in Jonas Valanciunas and Jusuf Nurkic, respectively, but have still inquired about his availability.
The Dallas Mavericks are also considered a dark horse to acquire Poeltl to complement Luka Doncic in his “read-and-react style.”
If Jakob Poeltl isn't traded by the deadline, it's expected the Spurs will try hard to re-sign the unrestricted free agent in the summer, in a deal that could be worth as much as $80 million over four years.
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