[Lewenberg] If Raptors do decide to prioritize development over wins next season, while positioning themselves for a top pick in the stacked 2025 draft, could see them testing the market on Poeltl this summer. They went 4-28 without him in 2023-24 (2-9 before Barnes/others also missed time).
If Raptors do decide to prioritize development over wins next season, while positioning themselves for a top pick in the stacked 2025 draft, could see them testing the market on Poeltl this summer. They went 4-28 without him in 2023-24 (2-9 before Barnes/others also missed time).
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 12, 2024
by Bobby_Webster
29 Comments
So 21-29 with Poeltl and 4-28 without him
People say he’s overrated lol
He’s not the only media person to float this…
Trading a player with multiple years left on their contract? Yea front office isn’t doing that shit
Not happening
trade his ass now but watch masai trade portl with 1 year left on his contract
If we plan to trade Yak, I’d throw a bag at Hartenstein.
(I know that’s not the point Lew is making but we need an actual C to slot in at the 5, can’t be Kelly all year)
I would have traded Poeltl if we kept our pick and drafted Clingan or Sarr.
I don’t want to go through a season without a center who can play defense.
Maybe if our pick is high enough we could even trade it for Poeltl.
The shitty thing about the Poeltl trade was that if we had waited for his free agency and offered him the same contract alongwith the starting spot, we wouldn’t have needed to trade for him. Maybe sign and trade but those are much cheaper to do.
Another 25-57 season will send Masai and fans into the shadow realm. It’s not going to happen
so without poeltl we could’ve had two consecutive top 6 picks
Do it. Get us Maluach.
we should move on from Poeltl regardless while he’s still worth something. He only fit us as Pascal’s bff and FVV’s roll partner and they are both gone.
Jak isn’t untouchable, but we shouldn’t be trying to get rid of him. Only trade if there is plus value coming back. Like if the Pels are willing to trade Herb, do it in a heartbeat. But Jak is a winning player — even as constructed this team isn’t likely making the playoffs. A 10-14 pick next year is not bad at all
Not watching the Raptors with no Center play or Scottie at C anymore.
Not cus Scottie isn’t good at C, I just dont wanna see that shit anymore, and no C raptors is kinda eye bleach worthy..
If there’s something we’ve learned over these last few years, it’s that tanking doesn’t work and should only be used as a last resort. It’s only worth it if a) you suck, and b) there’s a generational prospect incoming
The team that won the lottery was in the play-in this year
The team that came 3rd didn’t even own their own pick
The pistons are drafting 5th for what, the third year in a row?
Are we really gonna throw another season and stunt the development of Scottie, RJ, IQ, Dick, etc. for maybe a 5% increase in receiving the top pick in next years draft?
If we want to develop our guys, having a competent center helps
I mean last time we traded Poeltl we won a chip. At this point he’s a bad luck magnet. Question is what team genuinely wants him. Dude is glass, not the defensive anchor we’d hope for in these past two seasons. He probably thinks he’s better than he actually is and will want to be on a contender but there’s a lot of great centers now that are either younger or good to great rebounding and 3pt shooting centers who aren’t liabilities at the free throw line.
I’m very interested to see how losing the pick affects Gary Trent. He now holds more leverage in his negotiations. He can be like “hey you need me so you guys aren’t horrible next season”. Either he walks for nothing or we overpay to keep him. If he goes, what’s our starting lineup like?
When this team struck gold after an accidental tank in the bubble and got Scottie Barnes, that was the time to go full rebuild.
Instead, they unexpectedly finished 5th in the East, giving them ridiculous false confidence in their group. They were maximising their talent because of extra possessions per game from low turnovers and good rebounding. But it required playing starters at ridiculous usage rates, and also what their ranking disguised was that it should have been even more successful had they had even average shooting percentages.
So they held firm, but next season things regressed towards the mean as their roster didn’t take any steps forward and their team was starting to split culturally from the inside. And they were tired. And they still couldn’t shoot the ball well at all.
But they doubled down and traded a 1st for Jak. Couldn’t save the season, but hey, maybe next year with a real centre it could build.
Then they lost FVV for nothing, and they were shocked it happened. OK, no big deal, let’s get Denis Schröder, a less efficient player with no pick and roll game. That should be enough to get it back on track. And we’ll use the money we saved on nothing.
Oh well it didn’t work. I guess now is the time to blow it up.
Hey wait, what do you mean the offers we wouldn’t entertain for Pascal and OG got worse?
Ok, well a least let’s make sure to prioritise players rather than draft picks. Lots of them and as many with limited upside and question marks as possible.
Who could have seen any of it coming. Three years ago, in a market with a history of losing veteran free agents for nothing, that cannot attract high end free agents, with empty cupboards to generate big returns through trade, leaving only the draft option as the only viable alternative for progress, this management group chose to bet on its core of players who were 27th in true shooting percentage in a make or miss league, and to give away draft picks in the process.
I will forever be grateful for the Championship year and everything leading up to it. And I have no qualms with the year that followed, when after they predictably and unavoidably lost Kawhi and Green to free agency, they tried to make a deep run again.
After that season, this management group had all the goodwill from its fan base to blow it up and call it the price of a championship. And to accumulate draft picks in a organisation not only completely reliant on them to build up assets but also renowned for developing them like no other organisation could.
For them to go the route they did is unforgivable as far as I’m concerned. And for me, it’s the height of ego from Masai Ujiri, famous for his “play in for what” mentality, avoiding a rebuild by sticking with players he chose for far too long (and trying to blame it on Nick Nurse in the process).
The decisions (or lack thereof) made in the last 4 seasons have prolonged the pain this organisation will suffer for a long, long time.
Make no mistake, it would have been pain either way. But we would be well on our way to healing by now, or, even if we weren’t, the front office could have been forgiven for doing the right thing, and again, at the cost of a championship its fan base will forever been grateful for.
I wonder if we could get a top 8 pick for him?
Can we convince a GM to give us top 6 protected pick for jak 🙏🏼
“Prioritize development” just call it tankingÂ
pls trade him
To me if you trade Poeltl, I think you need to replace him immediately though. I really think if they can get Hartenstein that’s the right decision. Maybe trade Poeltl and the 19th pick to OKC for Ousmane Dieng, Kenrich Williams and their 12th pick. Or Poeltl to Golden State for Moses Moody and Gary Payton.
Trade Poeltl and this team will be stuck at the bottom even longer. People are acting like grabbing a big man of Poetl’s calibre is a walk in the park. This team was already bad enough on defence when he was healthy but when he went down they were completely lost.
Over the last 3 drafts there are usually 3 or 4 serviceable big men picked in each of them. Out of 180 picks you’ve got 12 bigs who can get solid minutes. Poeltl will be VERY hard to replace if they trade him.
Their record with Yak after getting IQ and RJ was pretty decent, though, wasn’t it? The 21-29 record is a bit skewed cuz OG clearly checked out, and Pascal was hot and cold, especiallyat the start.
I’d rather take our chances with him, at least until the trade deadline than spend a full season tanking.
Another year of Scottie losing not going to happen. Next year is critical for the Franchise to get back to winning habits.
IQ, RJ and Scottie are more than enough to fight for the play in
Hartenstein is going to OKC.
Thunder badly needs a centre. They had multiple picks, time for this to work