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Poeltl is not that, at least not at the moment, so any trade scenario in which he’s involved seems highly unlikely, which means when it comes to any of the big swings the Raptors might have wanted to take by the deadline, the bat is barely off their shoulder. “He’s a really hard to guy to trade right now,” said one source who has been monitoring the situation. “He’s hurt and he’s locked in for five years.”
Sam Amick: “RJ (Barrett) is definitely of interest to the Kings. The obstacle, like I wrote, is Jakob Poeltl. It’s an absolute non-starter for Sacramento—they’re not taking him on. He has a lot of money left; I think it’s around $103 million. So if you see Poeltl move somewhere else before the deadline—which is unlikely—that’s the only way this becomes more realistic. And honestly, I forgot to write this part: his back issues have kept him off the floor lately, which is another thing to monitor.”
Josh Lewenberg: Jakob Poeltl has been ruled out vs Minnesota tomorrow. He'll miss his 22nd straight game (and 24th in the last 25 games) on the eve of the trade deadline.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on the latest episode of the ALL NBA Podcast that the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz are among the teams actively exploring minor trades as the deadline nears. According to Stein, the focus for these franchises is roster flexibility rather than pursuing major names. “Charlotte, Brooklyn, and Utah. Those are three teams that are all very willing to take up and do the kinds of trades that you suggested,” Stein said. “The Nuggets have to make a move like that. If the Raptors don’t make a big move they still have to shed some salary to get under the tax. You've got a variety of teams that want to create roster room so they can convert two way players to standard contracts.”
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Marc Stein: NBA commissioner Adam Silver has named Toronto’s Darko Rajaković as head coach for Team World in next weekend’s All-Star Game. Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson will coach the two USA teams. The full roster breakdown will be announced later today.
As I wrote late last week, the Toronto Raptors are indeed a serious suitor for the Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis. Yet as team and league sources shared on Monday, the Raptors need to find a new home for big man Jakob Poeltl — outside of Sacramento — if the Sabonis deal is going to happen.
After the Knicks win over the Raptors in Toronto last week, when Bridges scored 30 points, his answer on the MSG Network broadcast went viral for how honest he was. Bridges admitted that he was “feeling too entitled” and “wasn’t being coachable.” That realization wasn’t prompted by the coaching staff or his teammates — it came from within. “I think my biggest thing is being accountable, accountability,” Bridges told The Post after the win over the Lakers Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. “You spend a lot of time by yourself, so just trying to realize what I gotta do to be better. I think that was one of the big things — I wasn’t being accountable enough for things that were happening. And not me being coachable as well, as I should.”
I'm told that the Kings do, however, still see pathways for moving Domantas Sabonis before Thursday's 3 PM ET deadline. Sources say Toronto remains the team most sources with knowledge of the situation see as a viable suitor for the All-Star big man.
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While Brandon Ingram certainly would have liked to mark his return to health with an All-Star spot, here’s the reality: The Raptors desperately need both Ingram and Scottie Barnes at full power to make real noise in the Eastern Conference. And so long as they’re healthy, they allow each other to be their best selves. “I really do think that they complement each other,” Rajaković said. “They’re different types of players. There are things that Brandon does at an elite level and there are things that Scottie is doing … at (an) elite level, but they’re so different.
![Brandon Ingram: [Laughs]. I don’t know if we would’ve …](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/gcdn/content-pipeline-sports-images/sports2/nba/players/214152.png?format=png8&auto=webp&quality=85,75&width=140)
During that 2018-19 Lakers season, things were looking bright until LeBron James went down with a groin injury. Do you think that squad was talented enough to make the Finals if everyone had stayed healthy? Brandon Ingram: [Laughs]. I don’t know if we would’ve made the Finals, but I will say we were a very talented team. We had our young core in their second and third years—Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac. We had LeBron, Rondo, and Michael Beasley. It was a smart group. We would have had a chance, but we were also pretty inexperienced. I’m not sure about the Finals, but we were definitely talented enough to make a real run in the playoffs.
Josh Lewenberg: In just 48 games, Mamu already has more win shares (3.6) than any Raptors free agent signing since Biyombo more than a decade ago. The lowest of bars, but imagine where this team would be without him, especially in light of Poeltl's injury. Another gem tonight (16 pts in 20 mins)