A Spurs insider tells me that starting center Jakob Poeltl is likely to be traded by the start of the season. Now that Ayton is back with the Suns, the market for Poeltl should begin to heat up. Josh Richardson is also actively being shopped by the Spurs and could find a new home sooner rather than later.
Source: LJ Ellis @ SpursTalk
Source: LJ Ellis @ SpursTalk
More on this storyline
Teams have come knocking at the Spurs’ door looking to acquire present talent for future reward (first round picks and developmental pieces). But those teams have found the door isn’t quite as open as they may expect — particularly when it comes to the 7-1 Jakob Poeltl, who truly came into his own this year, averaging 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in a relatively modest 29.0 minutes per game. -via Heavy.com / July 10, 2022
There’s also the fact that Poeltl is 26 and is himself still developing. The Spurs would obviously not want to see him grow into something even more prominent elsewhere. “We looked into it,” another league exec said. “The sense we got is that they ain’t moving him.” -via Heavy.com / July 10, 2022
A name to watch could be Kings wing Donte DiVincenzo, now a UFA after Sac didn’t make him QO. Raps had interest in Bucks wing Pat Connaughton’s until he picked up option on his deal. DiVincenzo would meet a lot of the same criteria, is younger, and a better play maker. With the Spurs in tank mode, you wonder if Toronto will try to find a way to deal for Jakob Poeltl. Raptors have tried to reacquire their former draftee multiple times, but never gaining any traction. Perhaps circumstances favour a deal now? It’s got to be killing Raps that OKC’s Lu Dort became an RFA while training under Nick Nurse at OVO Centre w/ Canada Basketball. Not that Raps could realistically sign the elite defender — even if they offered the full MLE, OKC would obviously match. Nice to dream tho. /4. -via Twitter @michaelgrange / June 30, 2022