It's still unclear if the Raptors will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, but if they do decide to be buyers, we're getting an idea of who they may pursue.
On Jan. 17, The Athletic's Shams Charania provided an update on what he's hearing ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline. He mentioned that team officials across the league view the Raptors as "the most fascinating franchise to watch before the deadline" and added that Toronto has registered interest in two particular players.
The first? Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, who the Raptors selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and included in the deal that brought Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. This isn't the first time the Raptors have been linked to Poeltl since trading him.
"Spurs center Jakob Poeltl has gained significant trade interest from teams such as the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, according to league sources who, like all the other sources in this story, were granted anonymity so that they would be able to speak freely," Charania reports.
The second? Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who has the eye of many teams.
"The Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams registering interest in Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanović, league sources say," writes Charania. "The Pistons have maintained that they prefer to keep Bogdanović moving forward, but as The Athletic’s James Edwards III reported, the franchise is open to conversations, and it’s believed an unprotected first-round pick can pry Bogdanović out of Detroit."
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New Inside Pass on @TheAthletic:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 17, 2023
🏀 Spurs' Jakob Poeltl garnering significant interest
🏀 The team currently most active on potential deal for Hawks' John Collins
🏀 Updates on Raptors' Fred VanVleet, Jazz's Mike Conley Jr.
Much more: https://t.co/SqB74lRkGL
Poeltl, 27, is one of the NBA's best rim protectors. He's averaging 12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game as San Antonio's starting center this season.
Poeltl is in the final year of his current contract, so he'll be an unrestricted free agent at the season's end.
Bogdanovic, 33, is having a career year in Detroit with an average of 21.2 points per game. He's knocking down 2.4 3-pointers per game at a 41.5 percent clip.
Bogdanovic signed a two-year, $39.1 million extension with the Pistons. His contract is partially guaranteed for the 2024-25 season.
