Jakob Poeltl is an awkward fit for the Toronto Raptors — in their books and on the floor

Even if you don’t agree with what they did, you can see what the Toronto Raptors were thinking when they gave Jakob Poeltl a three-year contract extension in the offseason.Over the last two years, Poeltl’s presence was essentially the difference between the Raptors being an average team and a horrible one. They need his presence defensively, especially on their own glass, to hold up against better teams. With no other young 7-footer in the system, the Raptors didn’t want to risk Poeltl hitting free agency this coming offseason and being left with no options in the middle. To get Poeltl to opt into his $19.5 million player option for 2026-27, they guaranteed him nearly $50 million over the two years after that, plus $5 million for 2029-30 if the Raptors decide they are done with the then-34-year-old big man.Advertisement