Poeltl signs $80 million contract to stay with Raptors: report

It seems like Jakob Poeltl is returning to the Toronto Raptors after all.

Today, it was reported that the 7-foot-1 Toronto veteran centre Poeltl has re-signed with the Raptors on a four-year contract worth $80 million, as per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN Sources: Free agent C Jakob Poeltl has agreed on a four-year, $80 million contract to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Poeltl is represented by Michael Tellem and Sam Goldfeder of @excelbasketball. Deal includes a player option.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023

Poeltl’s deal includes a player option in his final season.

A 2016 draft pick of the Raptors, the now 27-year-old Poeltl re-joined the team this year at the trade deadline after spending the last four-and-a-half seasons in San Antonio, where he was sent in 2018 as part of the package for Kawhi Leonard.

Poeltl averaged 13.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 games for the Raptors this season, giving the team their first quality true centre since the days of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol.

“We’re kind of leaving with this like bad taste in our mouths. I personally feel like [I want to] do better than that,” Poeltl said following the Raptors’ season-ending play-in loss. “Obviously I wanted to win some games. I was really looking forward to coming here. Being part of a winning environment, being part of [that] intensity again, that every-game-matters mentality.”

Toronto’s attention now turns to Fred VanVleet, who is reportedly meeting with the Houston Rockets as well as the Raptors to decide his own future in free agency.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Raptors have been eyeing a trade with the Washington Wizards for veteran point guard Monte Morris if VanVleet does ultimately leave.

But it’s not like Toronto will be without competition for the 28-year-old, with Washington selling off many of its top assets in recent weeks in trades that saw Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis leave town.

And it seems like Toronto has moved on from at least one internal option, as per NBABigBoard.com’s Rafael Barlowe, the Boston Celtics have met with Dalano Banton to discuss a possible landing spot for the first-time free agent.

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