Raptors targeting pair of forwards in potential trades: reports

Ahead of the February 9 trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors could be making what’s old new again.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Toronto could be interested in reacquiring their 2017 first-round draft selection Jakob Poeltl, currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs.

“Former Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, who left the franchise with DeMar DeRozan as part of a 2018 offseason blockbuster to land Kawhi Leonard, remains a target of Toronto’s front office, as Yahoo Sports reported in December,” Fischer wrote in an article today.

Poeltl has averaged 12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 35 games this season.

The 27-year-old Austrian was taken at ninth overall by the Raptors back in 2017.

Poeltl averaged 5.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 136 games for the Raptors in his career, playing in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons before being shipped off to the Spurs along with DeMar DeRozan and a series of draft picks in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

Toronto likely never really wanted to part ways with Poeltl, but saw it as the cost of doing business of acquiring one of the top players in the league in Leonard.

It’s not the only trade rumour emerging today around the Raptors, though, with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting Toronto as one of six teams interested in Detroit forward Bojan Bogdanović.

“Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams registering interest in Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanović, league sources say,” Charania wrote today.

Bogdanović has averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 44 games this season with Detroit.

Toronto currently sits 11th in the Eastern Conference at a record of 20-24 and is expected to be active in the trade market as they make the decision to either push for a playoff spot or commit to well, punting the season and taking a shot at landing top prospect Victor Wembanyama via the draft lottery.

For now, they’re just rumours but expect the noise to heat up around the Raptors in the coming weeks.

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