The Spurs have held firm on their sky-high asking price for Jakob Poeltl. Now NBA trade rumors have a few new suitors emerging.
Jakob Poeltl has repeatedly been mentioned in trade rumors going as far back as the offseason, when it was clear the Spurs would be leaning hard into a rebuild this year. They have reportedly been shopping him, along with fellow veterans Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott, trying to add additional draft picks.
One sticking point has reportedly been San Antonio’s insistence on receiving two first-round picks in any deal for Poeltl. There are plenty of teams interested in his blend of size, defensive impact and burgeoning ability to playmake as a big-man fulcrum from the elbows. As of yet, the Spurs haven’t found anyone willing to pony up multiple picks. But the market might be growing.
Which new teams are linked to Jakob Poeltl in NBA trade rumors?
The latest round-up of Poeltl-related news at SpursTalk included three teams that haven’t been mentioned much, if at all, in Poeltl trade rumors — the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
As LJ Ellis noted in his piece, the Pelicans and Blazers are especially surprising suitors given their current rosters:
“The Pelicans and Blazers have notable centers in Jonas Valanciunas and Jusuf Nurkic, respectively, however both teams have inquired about Poeltl’s availability. Scouts I’ve spoken with speculate that the Pelicans and Blazers may see Poeltl as a better fit due to the fact that teams continue to evolve away from centers who need touches in the low post to be effective.”
A source of Ellis’ also mentioned that the Mavericks were interested in Poeltl, highlighting the hypothetically smooth fit next to Luka Doncic: “[Poeltl] would be a talent upgrade in a position of need and he’d be a great fit for Luka’s read-and-react style.”
The complicating factor is that none of those three teams is likely to pony up multiple first-round picks for Poeltl. The Blazers owe their 2023 pick to the Bulls, so 2025 and 2027 are the earliest picks they could trade. Ditto for the Mavs, who owe their 2023 pick to the Knicks. The Pelicans have flexibility with incoming picks from Milwaukee and the Lakers but this would still be a big gamble, especially with Poeltl as an expiring contract.
But the beauty of trade season is that you just never know…
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