Kawhi Leonard, or at least his representation, named two acceptable trade destinations this offseason. He wanted to play for the San Antonio Spurs or Toronto Raptors.
Leonard, of course, reached the highest of highs with both teams earlier in his career, and with the writing on the wall in Los Angeles, wanted a change of scenery.
There were rumors pointing to the Spurs having some interest in a reunion. However, those were mostly unfounded. Toronto beat them to the punch, sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, and a swap to the Clippers.
It looked like a done deal until Adam Silver and the NBA stepped in. Kawhi and the Clippers are still under investigation for salary cap circumvention, and the Raptors pulled out of the deal once it was revealed that Leonard’s current team, not the team that violated the rules, might be held accountable.
It doesn’t make sense to punish the Raptors, who never did anything wrong. While Canada is in an uproar, one former Spur is quietly enraged over the deal falling through.
Jakob Poeltl Would Finally Play With Kawhi Leonard
In the 2018 deal that sent Leonard from San Antonio to Toronto, the Spurs took back Jakob Poeltl. At the time, he was a little-known backup center.
He would go on to spend four-and-a-half productive seasons in San Antonio, blossoming from reserve to high-level starter. In 2022, he averaged 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
He was one of the more reliable players on the Spurs between the Duncan, Leonard, and Wembanyama eras. In 2023, the rebuilding Spurs sent him back to the Raptors. In Canada for a second time, injuries caught up to him, and his career pretty much stagnated.
Poeltl has never really played with a superstar. He was traded for Leonard, missed out on playing with Kawhi, and was shipped out of San Antonio before Wembanyama came to town.
Finally, he had a chance to play with a future Hall of Famer, Kawhi. If Poeltl shares the floor with Leonard, there is an expectation that he will continue to improve, even at age 30.
“I think he’ll open up the floor a little bit for Jakob Poeltl,” said The Athletic’s Es Baraheni. “One area where the Raptors left a lot of meat on the bone was the Ingram/Jakob connection last year, of course, because Jakob was very, very injured. But you just didn’t get to see that at all. And I think part of that was because everything was so snug, right? With Kawhi as a pull-up shooter, his ability to space the floor, especially on the ball, is just going to open up so much for Jakob in that short roll area.”
When healthy, Poeltl is an old-school center who can snag rebounds, score inside, catch lobs, and protect the rim. He’s quietly one of the better defenders in the NBA, but has never been put in a position to experience meaningful team success.
If the Raptors and Clippers can finally formalize the Leonard trade, expect Poeltl to benefit more than anyone else. After ten NBA seasons and only two second-round appearances, no one deserves it more than him.
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