The Toronto Raptors of Austria’s basketball export Jakob Pöltl continued to push ahead with their large-scale squad shake-up on transfer deadline day in the North American professional basketball league NBA. The Canadians brought in Spencer Dinwiddie from the Brooklyn Nets and Kelly Olynyk from the Utah Jazz in two major deals. Like Pöltl, Olynyk can be used as a center. For Dinwiddie, the Raptors gave up German world champion Dennis Schröder, among others.
Schröder confirmed the change to the German Press Agency. According to ESPN, Toronto also sent veteran Thaddeus Young (35) to Brooklyn in addition to the 30-year-old playmaker. In return, the Raptors are getting a development player in Dinwiddie who averaged over 20 points and almost seven assists in his best season in Brooklyn in 2019/20. After stints in Washington and Dallas, the 30-year-old was a regular with the Nets again this season – a status that Schröder lost in Toronto to new acquisition Immanuel Quickley at the turn of the year.
With Olynyk comes a new center who, unlike Pöltl, does not have his strengths in defense. On offense, the 32-year-old Canadian gives the team from his hometown an additional option with a solid three-point shot. In addition, the 2.11 meter man can relieve Pöltl, the only pure center in the Raptors squad, under the basket. For Olynyk and complementary player Ochai Agbaji, Toronto traded Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis and a first-round pick in the upcoming draft to Utah.
The Canadians also made a first-round pick in the 2024 draft last year shortly before the transfer deadline for Pöltl’s commitment from San Antonio. The 28-year-old Viennese then signed a four-year contract worth a total of $78 million (€72 million) with the club in the summer, for which he also made his NBA debut in 2016. Pöltl is now the only player who is still with the Raptors from the starting lineup at the start of the season, alongside Scottie Barnes, who was nominated for next week’s All-Star Game in Indiana.
At the end of December, the Raptors had already handed over the outstanding defensive man OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and, in addition to Quickley, they also received Canadian hopeful RJ Barrett. In mid-January, Pascal Siakam, the team’s top scorer, went to Indiana. In return, in addition to Bruce Brown, last year’s champion with Denver, there were primarily young players and draft capital. Toronto is in danger of missing the knockout phase this season and has therefore decided to rebuild. The Pöltl team is currently four wins short of last place in the play-in tournament with a record of 18:33.
2024-02-08 20:22:52