The Atlanta Hawks can finally chase the big man of their dreams now that Jakob Poeltl hit the open market, per Michael Scotto.
The tenth-year Austrian pro has become one of the league’s premier interior defenders over his career, finishing in the top 10 percent of centers in Defensive DARKO each season this decade. He is also a reliable rebounder, although he’s admittedly not elite in this department. On offense, Poeltl is your typical rim-running big man. He has a relatively soft touch for a big man, but don’t expect him to do much on offense outside of setting screens and rolling to the paint.
As part of the Kawhi Leonard trade, Poeltl was traded from Toronto to San Antonio in the 2018 offseason. The Spurs were a broken team after trading their superstar and had no real shot at postseason success with a core of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Still, Poeltl redefined himself as a true “winning player” on the Spurs.
Poeltl is precisely what this team needs, but his contract isn’t
While he is a fairly one-dimensional player, Poeltl would bring a level of physicality and length to a Hawks frontcourt that is in desperate need of both.
Atlanta’s center struggles have been well-documented. In theory, a rotation relying on Kristaps Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu is one of the best in the league. Of course, the game isn’t played on paper – Porzingis has played in just 20.0% of the Hawks’ minutes, and Okongwu is 6’8. This has led the team to rank seventh worst in defensive rebounding and allow far too many easy looks at the rim.
Enter Jakob Poeltl. He would instantly provide a third starting-caliber center option to complete Atlanta’s rotation while addressing their biggest hole on defense. While his offense won’t blow fans away, he is a quietly fun passer in the short roll (although this comes with his fair share of turnovers).
Poeltl, however, just signed an extension last offseason; his three-year, $84 million deal will begin next season. This means that by trading for him, the Hawks would sacrifice a significant amount of their future cap space. Adding Poeltl to the mix would hamstring Atlanta’s cap flexibility next offseason, but Poeltl could also be traded at any point.
The Raptors are not looking to move on from Poeltl because they are upset with his performance. Toronto sits fourth in the East, and Poeltl has been the backbone of their team defense. If they trade Poeltl, it will be to create space for another player. This is where GM Onsi Saleh can continue to back up his reputation as a shrewd executive.
If Toronto needs to move Poeltl to create cap room, Saleh could use the leverage and contract situation to force Toronto to fork over additional assets. Whether this is a pick, a swap, or an exciting youngster, there is a good chance Poeltl will be traded for less than what he’s "truly worth" if he gets moved.