[SHAMS/WOJ] Spurs trade Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors for Khem Birch, ‘24 1st and 2 2nds…

[Quattro]

Raptors don't tank. Never have under this regime. We build assets, create culture and pounce when the time is right. We have Scottie and this year's lottery pick for the future. We have two all-stars on decent contracts. The cap is about to explode to 171 m in 2025. What does Yak's value represent on a $20 mil contract in 2025, if OGs is three frps right now?

I’d definitely say we pivoted to tank during the Tampa season.

Insanity/Bi-polarity of being a Raptors fan

Truly the worst fanbase on realgm and it's not even particularly close. It never ceases to astound me how pretty much every move Ujiri makes is lambasted by 3/4 of the people posting on that forum as if they somehow know better when the guy has managed a team that's won a championship and missed the playoffs once (during Covid playing in Tampa) in the time he's been here.

[wegotthabeet]

I’d definitely say we pivoted to tank during the Tampa season.

Insanity/Bi-polarity of being a Raptors fan

Truly the worst fanbase on realgm and it's not even particularly close. It never ceases to astound me how pretty much every move Ujiri makes is lambasted by 3/4 of the people posting on that forum as if they somehow know better when the guy has managed a team that's won a championship and missed the playoffs once (during Covid playing in Tampa) in the time he's been here.

Hard to argue with this take. Even as a Raps fan.

Some still think the Kawhi trade was bad.

[nikster]

I like it for the Raps in the sense that Poeltl is good and helps their team, but I also don't really get why they bothered.

Could be a shot at fixing their atrocious defense this year? Remember this same roster was one of the best teams in the nba in the second half of the season last year.

People like to hear about how bad their shooting is this year but really what’s done them in is their defense has taken a huge step back .

TO fans will be pleasantly surprised at the player Jakob has grown into. He'll clean up a lot of mistakes. Very high IQ and is more assertive now. Terrific facilitator and keeps the ball moving. And although his FTs leave much to be desired, he has brought up his average to near career high. He makes those around him better on and off the court.

Yeah I'm excited about this. Some raps fans are complaining about his FTs/lack of shooting but I think his passing, screen setting, and threat at the rim will be good for our offense.

Defensively he should be a massive upgrade. Even our raw rookie Koloko gets positive impact stats in limited minutes, Poeltl should thrive

[Blame Rasho]

I was kinda surprised we got as many picks. Poeltl has been skeaky awful on the defensive side of the ball if you look at the numbers.

[djsunyc]

:o Oh... Solid. I like it for us:

Read on Twitter

Trade grade

Spurs - A+
Raptors - F

Horrible trade for the Raptors for a guy they could have signed in FA. Now Poetl’s agent has Masai by the balls. They gotta overpay to keep him.

i think you need to brush up on some cap rules.

[Tacoma]

I’d definitely say we pivoted to tank during the Tampa season.

Insanity/Bi-polarity of being a Raptors fan

Truly the worst fanbase on realgm and it's not even particularly close. It never ceases to astound me how pretty much every move Ujiri makes is lambasted by 3/4 of the people posting on that forum as if they somehow know better when the guy has managed a team that's won a championship and missed the playoffs once (during Covid playing in Tampa) in the time he's been here.

The irony is you are posting on the General Board where many non-Raptors fans accuse Raptors fans of being the worse fanbase because of its excessive pro-Raptors bias, the opposite of what you're saying.

And "pivoted to tank" means you are tanking, so Mightymouses claim that "Raptors don't tank. Never have under this regime" is false. By itself, a team sitting #10 in the East being a buyer at the trade deadline doesn't make sense unless treadmill is the goal.

I'm expecting another trade upcoming in the next 2-3 hours before the deadline that will clarify what where Masai Ujiri stands.

[G R E Y]

I was kinda surprised we got as many picks. Poeltl has been skeaky awful on the defensive side of the ball if you look at the numbers.

Nah he'll be a terrific defender. With us there were just too many things to clean up on too many plays. There's only so much one player can do as the final backstop.

He's a nimble enough mover to guard the perimeter and stay with drivers but he's best as facilitator and rim protector, and has a high IQ to do a lot of small things that don't show up on the stat sheet (and others that do) that make a positive impact.

I guess the thinking is, how much higher is his ceiling as a traditional C? Have we maximized his development? If the best version of him is, say, slightly better than the current version but still not a floor stretching big, is that worth $20M or $17M/yr?

Worth is an interesting question when you factor in intangibles like IQ and locker room presence and these have value relative to team needs at a given time. Long term, we could not afford to not maximize assets for Jakob given his impending UFA status and our clear direction so given our needs we made our well. So did TO, and so did Jakob.

[Bornstellar]

I was kinda surprised we got as many picks. Poeltl has been skeaky awful on the defensive side of the ball if you look at the numbers.

Somewhat agree but look at the defenders he has around him and it seemed obvious he knew he was getting traded at some point so his effort has been kinda weak the last month or so. Might perk up a lot now that he has been traded and has a lot of lanky defenders on the perimeter

[mademan]

I dont think its a bad value trade for the Raps, i just dont understand how they can be so confident that theyre gonna be good next year. We probably dont give the Spurs a top 10 pick, but we could very well be in the play in next year and still end up in the lotto and give up a decent pick for a C that has still resulted in b2b losing season

[MightyMouse10]

Insanity/Bi-polarity of being a Raptors fan

Truly the worst fanbase on realgm and it's not even particularly close. It never ceases to astound me how pretty much every move Ujiri makes is lambasted by 3/4 of the people posting on that forum as if they somehow know better when the guy has managed a team that's won a championship and missed the playoffs once (during Covid playing in Tampa) in the time he's been here.

The irony is you are posting on the General Board where many non-Raptors fans accuse Raptors fans of being the worse fanbase because of its excessive pro-Raptors bias, the opposite of what you're saying.

And "pivoted to tank" means you are tanking, so Mightymouses claim that "Raptors don't tank. Never have under this regime" is false. By itself, a team sitting #10 in the East being a buyer at the trade deadline doesn't make sense unless treadmill is the goal.

I'm expecting another trade upcoming in the next 2-3 hours before the deadline that will clarify what where Masai Ujiri stands.

The fact that we as a fan base critique any move our FO makes when 90% of the league would clear house for Masai baffles me.
In technicalities you are correct. What i meant by the phrase "never tank" is what most raptor fans want to be done now. Which is strip the team of everything, similar to what Utah(trading Gobert, mitchell), Houston and Detroit(not actively trying to improve). The Raptors are constantly trying to get assets. Getting a player's bird's rights is a big asset when you're operating over the cap. Added positives, getting rid of Birch contract, and/or resigning Poetl means its a value contract when the cap is at 171 m in 2025.

If we tank mid-season its not on purpose. Even when Masai took over, he let Rudy/Kyle/Demar give a run before attempting to blow it up and even then, they didn't.

[Quattro]

Insanity/Bi-polarity of being a Raptors fan

Truly the worst fanbase on realgm and it's not even particularly close. It never ceases to astound me how pretty much every move Ujiri makes is lambasted by 3/4 of the people posting on that forum as if they somehow know better when the guy has managed a team that's won a championship and missed the playoffs once (during Covid playing in Tampa) in the time he's been here.

The irony is you are posting on the General Board where many non-Raptors fans accuse Raptors fans of being the worse fanbase because of its excessive pro-Raptors bias, the opposite of what you're saying.

That’s those same fans months later when Ujiris move turns out to be good. Witness how many douche bags trolled the Magic boards when Scottie Barnes had a better year than Suggs when those same fans lost their minds on draft night because the raptors didn’t take Suggs.

[Jcity08]

We're committed to mediocrity, play-in for Yak.

[CanadianBacon15]

Woah... I didn't know we got trades announced this late.

Also... what the hell do the Raptors want with a contract year Poeltl? Lol.

A decent Center in the middle of his prime but has FT shooting issues so you can't play him late... doesn't seem to fit the mold of what they should be looking for.

Unless they've decided with contract years FVV and their SG they're trying to make the playoffs???

Isn't this just another player the Raptors will lose for nothing in free agency?

He would be the best center on the Celtics who are contenders, so he is better then a decent center. He is a very good defender, rebounder and passer and a long awaiting replacement for Gasol. They risk losing him in the summer though for sure.

Ehhhhh

He wouldn't be close to Rob Williams but to be fair Rob often is only healthy like... 60% of the season.

And it would depend what you're looking for between him and Al.

And if it's the final 2 minutes of the game he can't see the floor because he can't shoot FTs.

So I think decent Center is pretty accurate. If not exactly on point description.

He shoots around the same ft% as Williams so I guess he can't finish games either.

In a vacuum great trade for the Raptors! Didn't overpay or anything! And someone they can resign if they really want him.

[celticfan42487]

He would be the best center on the Celtics who are contenders, so he is better then a decent center. He is a very good defender, rebounder and passer and a long awaiting replacement for Gasol. They risk losing him in the summer though for sure.

Ehhhhh

He wouldn't be close to Rob Williams but to be fair Rob often is only healthy like... 60% of the season.

And it would depend what you're looking for between him and Al.

And if it's the final 2 minutes of the game he can't see the floor because he can't shoot FTs.

So I think decent Center is pretty accurate. If not exactly on point description.

He shoots around the same ft% as Williams so I guess he can't finish games either.

In a vacuum great trade for the Raptors! Didn't overpay or anything! And someone they can resign if they really want him.

Ummm

The last 3 years of 61.5% , 72%, and 68% is nothing at all "around" 51%, 50%, 59%

One of them you target in the final 2 minutes with the hack a Shaq if you're down and need to make a comeback and the other you don't.

[CanadianBacon15]

Ehhhhh

He wouldn't be close to Rob Williams but to be fair Rob often is only healthy like... 60% of the season.

And it would depend what you're looking for between him and Al.

And if it's the final 2 minutes of the game he can't see the floor because he can't shoot FTs.

So I think decent Center is pretty accurate. If not exactly on point description.

He shoots around the same ft% as Williams so I guess he can't finish games either.

In a vacuum great trade for the Raptors! Didn't overpay or anything! And someone they can resign if they really want him.

Ummm

The last 3 years of 61.5% , 72%, and 68% is nothing at all "around" 51%, 50%, 59%

One of them you target in the final 2 minutes with the hack a Shaq if you're down and need to make a comeback and the other you don't.

Poeltl is shooing like 8 percentage points lower then Williams. They both suck. You act like he shoots 80%. I am salty over the deadline as it is, so I really do not care to chat further. Have a nice day.

[celticfan42487]

Ummm

The last 3 years of 61.5% , 72%, and 68% is nothing at all "around" 51%, 50%, 59%

One of them you target in the final 2 minutes with the hack a Shaq if you're down and need to make a comeback and the other you don't.

Poeltl is shooing like 8 percentage points lower then Williams. They both suck. You act like he shoots 80%. I am salty over the deadline as it is, so I really do not care to chat further. Have a nice day.

Somewhere between 9-22% better from the line over the past 3 years yeah. It's a huge difference.

You can be as salty as Bacon but doesn't make your counter point any less falty.

[CanadianBacon15]

Ummm

The last 3 years of 61.5% , 72%, and 68% is nothing at all "around" 51%, 50%, 59%

One of them you target in the final 2 minutes with the hack a Shaq if you're down and need to make a comeback and the other you don't.

Poeltl is shooing like 8 percentage points lower then Williams. They both suck. You act like he shoots 80%. I am salty over the deadline as it is, so I really do not care to chat further. Have a nice day.

Somewhere between 9-22% better from the line over the past 3 years yeah. It's a huge difference.

You can be as salty as Bacon but doesn't make your counter point any less falty.

Williams never plays anyway. I would worry about that if I were you and not what players were shooting from the line 3 seasons ago. Again, have a nice day. Goodbye.

[Salty1]

Dude fits Ujiri's timeline and if you look back to their 2019 championship.. that team was loaded with defensive monsters (Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and to a lesser degree Norman Powell, Fred Vanvleet, Chris Boucher) Jakob Poeltl is just a great fit.

[celticfan42487]

Poeltl is shooing like 8 percentage points lower then Williams. They both suck. You act like he shoots 80%. I am salty over the deadline as it is, so I really do not care to chat further. Have a nice day.

Somewhere between 9-22% better from the line over the past 3 years yeah. It's a huge difference.

You can be as salty as Bacon but doesn't make your counter point any less falty.

Williams never plays anyway. I would worry about that if I were you and not what players were shooting from the line 3 seasons ago. Again, have a nice day. Goodbye.

He played 15 playoff games as a starter last year. Which is double Poetls entire career's gross total.

So I'll try to be concerned about it.

Part of the reason he plays and starts in the playoffs, is because for 3 straight years he's proven he can shoot FTs and be one of the best defensive players in the league on a level Poetl will never ever come close to even thinking about let alone playing like.

I'm sorry you've taken it so hard that I refuse to point out obvious ways Poetl wouldn't be the best Center on the Celtics as you claimed or just disregard facts or thought or logic to fit that narrative.

If it's any help I am being kind because as I also generously said he was maybe a wash with Horford and I've let you keep that subject closed for your piece of mind but we could break down who is the better player between him and Al Horford right now, and you might find he'd actually be considered the 3rd best Center on the Celtics roster today.

[CanadianBacon15]

Somewhere between 9-22% better from the line over the past 3 years yeah. It's a huge difference.

You can be as salty as Bacon but doesn't make your counter point any less falty.

Williams never plays anyway. I would worry about that if I were you and not what players were shooting from the line 3 seasons ago. Again, have a nice day. Goodbye.

He played 15 playoff games as a starter last year. Which is double Poetls entire career's gross total.

So I'll try to be concerned about it.

Part of the reason he plays and starts in the playoffs, is because for 3 straight years he's proven he can shoot FTs and be one of the best defensive players in the league on a level Poetl will never ever come close to even thinking about let alone playing like.

I'm sorry you've taken it so hard that I refuse to point out obvious ways Poetl wouldn't be the best Center on the Celtics as you claimed or just disregard facts or thought or logic to fit that narrative.

If it's any help I am being kind because as I also generously said he was maybe a wash with Horford and I've let you keep that subject closed for your piece of mind but we could break down who is the better player between him and Al Horford right now, and you might find he'd actually be considered the 3rd best Center on the Celtics roster today.

I said that I have no interest in this conversation. Stop sending me messages.