"I bet you could name five different Christmas movies where Santa Claus needs someone's help to save the holidays. Whether it's Tim Allen, Elf, or any other memorable character, Santa has required a lot of help this time of year. Or in other cases, someone has had to step in as Santa for a temporary period. Jakob Poeltl is Santa Claus for the Toronto Raptors."
"In many ways, the Raptors need a holiday miracle of sorts when it comes to Poeltl and his back. Without any viable backup option and no genuine young big man prospect (Collin Murray-Boyles is more of a wing), Toronto has to hope Poeltl returns to form quickly. While the Raptors have survived stints and moments without him this season, their overall playoff ceiling is significantly lower without anyone healthy 7 feet or taller."
"The Raptors will search for solutions big and small. But the big-name ones like Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, Ivica Zubac, or even Jarrett Allen will be hard to pull off. In the case of Davis or Sabonis, you'd have to include more salary on top of Poeltl's to get a deal done, and that doesn't even account for the actual added value the Mavericks or Kings would want in addition to that, respectively."
Jakob Poeltl, the Toronto Raptors' veteran center, is dealing with a nagging lower-back injury early in the 2025–2026 season. The injury raises concern given his recent three-year, $84 million extension through 2030 and the team's lack of a reliable backup seven-footer. Toronto's playoff ceiling diminishes when no healthy 7-foot-plus center is available, and there is little in-house prospect depth. Trading for established bigs such as Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, Ivica Zubac, or Jarrett Allen would be difficult due to salary matching and trade compensation demands. The team's primary hope is Poeltl's return to previous form; otherwise uncomfortable roster questions will intensify.
Read at Raptors Republic
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