A new trade possibility opened up for the Raptors today

As the February 8 NBA trade deadline gets closer, the Toronto Raptors remain one of the most closely watched teams across the league.

Having made a high-profile trade on December 30 that sent three players to the New York Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, all eyes are on Toronto’s front office to see what its next move is.

And as the clock struck midnight last night to head into Monday, the team officially has one more piece at their disposal to trade: centre Jakob Poeltl.

As per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, he’s one of 17 players to see their trade restriction lifted as of Monday, based on Poeltl’s contract that he signed this summer.

Trade restrictions have now been lifted for the below players:

Cameron Johnson
*Miles Bridges
P.J. Washington
Coby White
Ayo Dosunmu
Austin Reaves
Rui Hachimura
Brook Lopez…

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 15, 2024

The restriction Poeltl — and 16 others league-wide — had in their deals allows players to have at least some stability for about half of the NBA season to ensure they won’t get moved to a new city shortly after signing a new contract.

While playing 26.5 minutes per night, Poeltl has averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 36 games this season.

Poeltl, who is on a four-year deal that he inked in July, is earning $19.5 million each season throughout his contract.

He is, however, currently sidelined indefinitely with a left ankle sprain, jeopardizing the chances of him getting moved in the immediate future.

Poeltl’s trade last season to Toronto from San Antonio was a polarizing one among Raptors fans. The move did give Toronto some stability at the centre position that they were looking for, with the team often employing a small-ball lineup throughout much of last season.

And it reunited Poeltl — who Toronto originally traded to the Spurs with DeMar DeRozan in 2018 as part of the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster deal — with the franchise that had drafted him back in 2016.

But the acquisition cost of a first-round pick (top-six protected) and a second-round pick, along with the since-waived Khem Birch, has been widely criticized by many Toronto fans and media.

With Toronto missing the playoffs last season and set to do so again as they sit 12th in the Eastern Conference as of Monday, the decision to spend assets on a veteran player like Poeltl — instead of either keeping them or using them for younger players — has been widely criticized based on the team’s performance since the trade. The Raptors are 30-35 since trading for Poeltl last February.

The team returns to action on Monday night for the first of three home games in four days. Toronto hosts the Boston Celtics tonight, before games against the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

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