Getty Jakob Poeltl chases down a loose ball during a game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers.
Perhaps no NBA player has received as much mention as a potential target for the Golden State Warriors in the last several months as San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl. Last March, I floated a trade that would have seen the Warriors acquiring him — as well as a first-round pick — in exchange for former No. 2 overall selection James Wiseman.
Fast-forward to now, and the notion that the Spurs would be the ones attaching draft capital in a deal for Wiseman is a pretty wild concept.
In spite of his top-two status, that incredible combination of size and athleticism and the flashes of potential he has shown, Wiseman now looks much more like a player you hope can develop into something serviceable than a cornerstone piece. Not only that, the 27-year-old Poeltl — who was once looked upon as little more than a solid hand — has suddenly become one of the more desirable ballers in the Association for teams looking to shore up the pivot.
Woj: Spurs Are Getting Some Hefty Offers for Jakob Poeltl
During a recent appearance on NBA Countdown, league insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Poeltl is drawing an incredible amount of interest ahead of the league’s February 9 deadline for deal-making.
“Jakob Poeltl… I think he’s going to be one of the real pivotal players at the NBA trade deadline,” Wojnarowski said. “You’ve seen in recent years there was not as much of a market for centers — that’s changed this year. There’s a lot of interest in Poeltl and there are a lot of teams… I think, for San Antonio, they’re going to make the kind of offers that they may want to move him.”
Although Poeltl is young enough — and good enough — to be a part of whatever the Spurs’ next iteration is, Woj believes that the former lottery pick’s contract situation may preclude him from staying in San Antonio. And if he’s bound to leave, the time to swap him for some kind of asset may have come.
“This is a player who can do a four-year, $58 million dollar extension during the season. He’s going to get more than that in free agency; he’s not going to do that deal now.”
Woj noted that Poeltl might be the ideal frontcourt partner for Victor Wembanyama, should the Spurs win the draft lottery. However, a big-time offer from a rival club could entice San Antonio to move on from him nonetheless.
“I think, for San Antonio, you saw them do it with Dejounte Murray. They got an overwhelming offer from Atlanta and they moved him. I think you’re going to see at the trade deadline for Poeltl some real significant offers. A lot of teams who want size — you want to beat Giannis [Antetokounmpo], you want to beat [Joel] Embiid, you want to beat [Nikola] Jokic in the postseason — there are plenty of contenders who see the value in Poeltl.”
But Is Poeltl Really the Home-Run Acquisition Everyone Believes Him to Be?
Although some of his numbers have dipped somewhat in 2022-23 following offseason roster changes, Poeltl has a track record of contributing in areas where the Dubs could use help. He contested more shots per game (14.2) last season than anyone in the league, and he was second in the NBA in screen assists at 5.5 per outing.
He’s also a strong passer out of the pivot at nearly three assists per contest and a solid rebounder at 13.0 rebounds per 36 minutes.
One thing he’s not, though, is a floor-stretcher and, according to NBC Sports Bay Area‘s Monte Poole, the Warriors’ insistence on rolling with two non-shooters has already left them out of step with the modern NBA. Wrote Poole:
Green’s versatility has allowed them to roll out a 6-foot-6 center and prosper at both ends. Curry’s offensive gravity has allowed the Warriors to stay with non-scorers Kevon Looney and Green and somehow thrive with a “three-out” system.
It’s Curry, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins on the perimeter, spacing the floor, leaving non-scorers Draymond and Loon on Throwback Island.
Which is at odds with the most obvious trend in basketball. Offenses, certainly those in the NBA, have in recent years made a hard shift toward four- and five-out systems — with four or five players capable of firing from distance.