3:17 pm: We’re done. Jak’s the guy, and there ain’t no more. My take on Poeltl here. Thanks for kicking it with me today.
3:00 pm: Okay, I say this every year, but we ain’t done. Teams can make trades up until 3:00 pm, but they can announce them after the deadline. We’ll have some trades rolling in for the next 20 minutes. Stay tuned.
2:35 pm: Bobby Marks says the Raptors might be done moving. They’re not feeling pressure to do all their work right now — have until the offseason to make a lot of decisions. I guess job security gives Toronto’s front office an extended sense of timing. Could be a competitive advantage? Who knows. I’m getting off the mark, here. Namely, Toronto might be done.
2:25 pm: Toronto news! Per Shams, the Raptors are in talks with the Warriors on an Anunoby trade. That’s all we got. Meanwhile, the trades are happening fast and furious.
2:14 pm: Okay, there’s a looootttt happening. You can see the list of trades at the bottom of the piece here, but nothing involving Toronto. The market is fluctuating wildly. Some guys are going for a lot, some a little. But the moves are happening. Is Toronto the only team that’s traded a first-round pick since I woke up this morning?
2:00 pm: I’m going to be making “five second-rounders” jokes for the rest of my life.
1:55 pm: Bones Hyland to the Clippers. Toronto’s potential landing spots for its high-value players are drying up.
1:10 pm: I’m back online! Looks like I didn’t miss anything.
12:38 pm: Alright folks, I’m packing up to get to OVO. Gonna be a 25-minute trip, hoping nothing happens before I check back on. Stay safe and sane. See you soon.
12:25 pm: Yeah, we’re rolling now. We’ve got five second-round picks moving here, three moving there. Some talks for Bey-for-Wiseman madness. Things are heating up nice and hot. Still no Raptors news.
11:55 am: A trade! Advanced stats megastar Mike Muscala to the Boston Celtics. Doesn’t mean much to us here, but it might loosen up the dam on the trades. Perhaps the ball’s about to get rolling.
11:30 am: Look like I missed nothing. Awesome. Vet move on my timing. Anyway, we’re still all in limbo. Just looking ahead, I’m going to be at the OVO center at 1 pm sharp, so I’ll miss approximately 12:30-1 while I’m on the road. But the updates will be fast and furious once I get there.
11 am: Looks like we’re at a fairly long lull. This usually happens before things heat up at, say, noon or so. I’m going to take this opportunity to talk the dog again. I haven’t seen any new rumours for a bit involving Raptors, which probably means front offices are currently on the phones. The rumours only come out when they actually have the time to text reporters! I’ll be back. If I miss a trade, I’m sorry. We’re all making gambles out here.
10:10 am: Okay, my initial thoughts on the Poeltl trade are up. He will help the team. But it kind of has to be the first of multiple moves. Also: It looks like the pick for Poeltl is top-six protected in 2024, and if it doesn’t convey it is top-six protected in 2025, and if it doesn’t convey it is top-six protected in 2026. The second-round picks are unprotected 2023 and 2025. Jeeeeeeez. That’s tough. Huge, huge price to pay. Poeltl has huge shoes to fill for Toronto based on the cost.
9:25 am: One cup of coffee is down, more is brewing, the dog is walked, and I’m 200 words into a Poeltl piece. Okay, we’re flying now.
The NBA? They’re probably gonna still be sleeping until noon, right? Ha. No. But usually (usually!) stuff doesn’t happen at this time. Expect it to heat up in an hour or two, but for now if you have stuff to do around the house or whatever, this would be the best time until approximately 4 pm est.
8:50 am: Wow, okay, it’s early, and a lot has happened. There’s still way, way more that can, and I’ll be on this here open thread all day chatting with you and walking you through the events of the day.
First up: Jakob Poeltl is a Toronto Raptor again. Samson Folk has the reaction here, and more to come throughout the day. Looks like the Raptors are buyers this year. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are no longer Nets, so a lot of the landscape has already changed. Most importantly for Toronto, Poeltl is a legitimate 7-footer, a real rim protector, and a low-hanging-fruit finisher around the rim. He gives the team so much that it has lacked. That Christian Koloko still has the best on/offs on the team would seem to point to a rim protector significantly unlocking Toronto’s schemes. At the very least, he really helps the vibes — which seemed to be lacking. (In fact, I’m going to go write about that right now. I have coffee beside me, it’s untouched. I have my dog beside me, she’s unwalked. My god why did things have to start so early?!)
But the Raptors still have a luxury tax crunch coming up. They traded Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick, and two second-round picks for Poeltl. That means Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent jr., O.G. Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam remain very tradeable. Woj has reported that Anunoby’s value has only gone up because teams in the West now want someone, anyone to be able to guard Kevin Durant with Phoenix. Toronto’s moves aren’t done.
Resources:
- The roundtable from Raptors Republic staff about the deadline.
- Samson’s podcast about Poeltl.
- Samson’s pieces about potentially trading VanVleet, Anunoby, and Trent.
- My pieces about guards and centers who might fix the Raptors. (I was iffy about Poeltl.)
- My piece on the Poeltl trade.
Completed trades:
- The Raptors have traded Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick (protections currently unreported), and two second-round picks for Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs. Per Woj.
- The Brooklyn Nets traded Kevin Durant and TJ Warren to the Phoenix Suns for four first-round draft picks, and pick swap, Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Jae Crowder. Jeez. Per Woj.
- Hart-Reddish.
- D’Angelo Russell (Damn I wanted him as a Raptor!) to the Lakers, Mike Conley to the Timberwolves, Russell Westbrook to the buyout market. Woj.
- Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, plus draft assets. Woj.
- Mike Muscala to the Boston Celtics for two seconds. Shams.
- Jae Crowder to the Bucks. I like that for them (and will probably write about it for the team hehe). Five seconds is Nikola Mirotic prices. Shams.
- Lakers trade away Thomas Bryant. Why!? Woj. Love him as a backup big for Denver though. My Nuggets championship bet stays alive despite Durant going to Phoenix.
- Thybulle to Portland. Jalen McDaniels to Philly, which I really like for them. Haynes.
- Bones to the Clippers. Woj.
- Darius Bazley to the Suns, Saric to the Thunder. Shams.
- Wiseman for Saddiq Bey. Woj. Wait, Atlanta’s involved. Buckle up.
- Eric Gordon to the Clippers. Love that for them, he can hoop. Shams.
- Luke Kennard to the Grizzlies. Shams.
- Mo Bamba to the Lakers for Patrick Beverly. Shams.
- Josh Richardson to the Pellies. Shams.
- Mason Plumlee to the Clips. Woj.
- GPII back to the Warriors. Five second-round picks. Hahahaha. Woj.
