According to a report from Jared Weiss, the Boston Celtics have been interested in acquiring Poeltl, the San Antonio Spurs center, for “several seasons.” Poeltl’s former team, the Toronto Raptors, also has “significant interest” in bringing back their old big man, who they sent to San Antonio in the Kawhi Leonard trade in 2018.
For their part, the Spurs have significant interest in getting multiple first-round picks for Poeltl, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Their asking price starts at two first-round picks, which is steep for less than half a season of Poeltl. However, he might be the best big man on the market, and any team who trades for Poeltl also gets his Bird rights, which means they can go over the cap to re-sign him.
San Antonio also reportedly wanted two firsts for guard Derrick White, who they eventually sent to Boston last February for a 2022 first-rounder and pick swap in 2028, plus Romeo Langford, who hasn’t impressed despite starting 17 games. Given that Poeltl will likely want a big new contract, that’s a high price.
What did the Derrick White deal teach us? First, Boston won’t hesitant to make a big deal, even for a player that would be a backup, as Poeltl likely would be behind Al Horford and Robert Williams. They’re focused on winning a championship, and GM Brad Stevens seems far more willing to trade away draft capital than his predecessor, Danny Ainge.
It also means that San Antonio is likely flexible on their Poeltl demands. They want two firsts, but would they take a first-round pick, plus a young player like the Golden State Warriors’ James Wiseman? Would they take multiple second-rounders instead of a first? The Raptors have all of their picks going forward, save a 2024 second-rounder. The Celtics are short of second-round picks, but have all their own firsts, besides the 2028 swap to San Antonio.
The other possibility is that San Antonio simply holds onto Poeltl and brings him back as the veteran anchor during the team’s big rebuild. They may have more than $50 million in cap space, and after drafting three 19-year-olds in last June’s draft, we shouldn’t expect the Spurs to make win-now moves this summer. They can certainly afford Poeltl.
That may be the factor that drives up Poeltl’s price. San Antonio wanted picks for White, but they were also incentivized to get rid of the $53+ million in salary obligations to him through 2025. Gregg Popovich can credibly bluff teams that the Spurs are willing to simply keep their Austrian big man if no one meets their price – and perhaps that’s how they feel.
Poeltl is good enough to swing a playoff series. Let’s see if there’s a team who can give up enough to swing a deal.
