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Derrick White: But getting traded during the season is one of the craziest things I've had to deal with in my NBA career. You’re on a team, you’re committed to them, you’re trying to do everything you can to help them win games. And then one day they’re like, 'All right, you’re on the Celtics.' So... I was hurt. Definitely, when they traded me—it was kind of like... I think Jakob Poeltl came to my room after I got traded. And I was like, 'Why don’t they want me?' That’s kind of what it’s like—Why don’t they believe in me? Why don’t they see their future with me there? I was just like, 'Why don’t they want me?' I was cool with the rebuild... but obviously, getting traded is crazy. My wife was 7 months pregnant—that makes things even crazier. And I think getting traded to Boston makes it even crazier— The roads make zero sense. You don’t know where you’re going. Everything’s so confusing."
Josh Lewenberg: Jakob Poeltl on Masai Ujiri: "He’s the guy that in the NBA first believed in me. He’s the one that drafted me, so from that standpoint alone I owe him a lot... Obviously, it won’t be easy but we have other talented guys in those positions that can hopefully fill those footsteps.”
Jake Fischer: As @MikeAScotto had, Jakob Poeltl's picking up his $19.5M option for '26-27, and then adding an additional three years, $84M through '29-30. Sources say the fourth-year of Poeltl's new $104M overall agreement has $5M guaranteed in year four, w/ structured language to grow richer.
Michael Scotto: Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has agreed on a four-year, $104M contract extension, sources confirm. ESPN first. He’ll pick up his $19.5M player option for 2026-27 and add 3 years to his deal. Trade kicker included, sources say. Poeltl hopes to be a Raptor for life, I’m told
Shams Charania: Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has agreed on a four-year, $104 million contract extension with the franchise through 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Poeltl will pick up his 2026-27 player option at $19.5M and add three additional years to his deal.
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Shams Charania: The Raptors and Poeltl's agents, Michael Tellem and Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, discussed several frameworks of a deal such as opt-out-and-extend -- but the sides land on an opt-in-and-extend, giving Toronto flexibility in the next two seasons.
The reports that the Raptors are monitoring his situation are credible and make sense, given Toronto had conversations with the Suns back in February about the possibility of a Durant trade. But to cut through some of the smoke: multiple sources have confirmed to me that Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl would not be part of any deal — however unlikely a Raptors-Suns deal might be — centred around Durant. The Suns were asking for Poeltl at the trade deadline and got a firm ‘no’ back then, but that hasn’t stopped them from asking, apparently.
We can confirm our Sportsnet colleague Michael Grange's reporting Friday that Toronto — initially presumed to be willing to part with Jakob Poeltl if it meant landing Durant — maintains now that it would not even surrender Poeltl in a deal for the future Hall of Famer. It remains to be seen how firm that stance is, but league sources say that the Raptors and their very underrated center have mutual interest in hammering out a contract extension in the near future if no trade intervenes.
League sources say the Raptors have explored a range of trade concepts that could involve a framework including any combination of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and the No. 9 overall pick. While nothing appears imminent, there is internal openness to parting with one of Barrett or Quickley in a larger package, and Poeltl could be included depending on the structure. Additionally, Toronto has explored scenarios involving trading down from No. 9, rather than exiting the first round altogether. A clear motivation to make changes is evident.
Will Toronto actually go beyond all the noise about their willingness to gamble on Durant without a long-term contract commitment to make a determined push for KD? Sources say that the Raptors would be willing to part with either RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for a significant roster upgrade. Several league figures with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking have likewise asserted that they could show a willingness to move center Jakob Poeltl as well ... provided that the trade in question brought back Durant. The Raptors' No. 9 pick is also increasingly viewed as perhaps the most likely top-10 pick in the draft to be traded. My sense is that Toronto would prefer to simply trade down rather than trade out of the first-round completely. Perhaps there is some swap potential in a deal with Phoenix and the Suns' No. 29 overall selection.
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Sources say Barrett was indeed discussed with New Orleans during the Raptors' trade conversations that ultimately landed Ingram from the Pelicans for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and one future first- and second-round pick. Between Barrett and veteran center Jakob Poeltl this summer, Toronto could get to nearly $50 million in outgoing salary relatively easily.
Doug Smith on Domantas Sabonis: I've never heard his name in a conversation with anybody involved with the Raptors for a year and a half. They're pretty happy with Jakob Poeltl with two years left in his deal at 20 million a year. Sabonis is a great player. No question about it. But I've never heard his name linked to Toronto. Anybody who I've talked to in the Raptors front office has never talked as a guy as that they would like to pursue.
Doug Smith: The question is if you think the remaining players will develop, just as that group of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Jakob Poeltl did. Not to that level — that’s a historic young group no one’s come close to matching — but if it can come close, that’s pretty darn good. Again, the odds of doing a Giannis deal are long but the remnants of paying a steep price isn’t too bad.
Libaan Osman: Masai Ujiri on the Toronto Raptors getting the 9th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft: “Tracy McGrady. DeMar DeRozan. Jakob Poeltl. We’ll be fine. I guarantee you we’ll be fine.”
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