The Viennese was last on the field for Toronto before Christmas. Trade rumors are circulating.
Things have become quiet around Jakob Pöltl in the past few weeks. The Viennese has not played in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors since December 21st and the away game at the Brooklyn Nets. The reason: an unspecified back injury.
The major US sports leagues traditionally handle communication and, above all, details regarding a player’s injury extremely sparingly. You want to give opponents as little concrete information about it as possible. In the NHL ice hockey league, injuries are often only divided into upper and lower body injuries. Who wants to get hit on their left hip when it hurts?
Pöltl is using his almost five-week break from playing to regenerate. Especially in his position as a center with a lot of work under the basket, physical contact is unavoidable. It is all the more important to Toronto that Pöltl is back in full possession of his strength when he returns to the floor. And the Raptors are not under any stress at the moment.
As number four in the Eastern Conference, the Canadians are on course for the playoffs. After just over half of the regular season games, Serbian head coach Darko Rajaković’s team is doing much better than was generally expected. In the last 16 games without Pöltl, the Raptors’ record of 10:6 victories reads clearly positively. Toronto could need a fit Pöltl much more in the final third of the season or in the playoffs than in the current phase.
There is a question mark behind Pöltl and his stay in Toronto. NBA clubs can transfer players until February 5th (trade deadline). Even though the rumor mill has been bubbling over and over again, the Viennese’s name keeps coming up. If Toronto wants to strengthen itself significantly and start an attack on the title, Pöltl’s departure seems almost unavoidable for some NBA observers. Why? Because he still has significant value for other clubs looking for an experienced center, but Toronto has to dig into their pockets for him at an annual salary of $19.5 million.
However, Pöltl’s body would also have to play a role in a potential trade. Accumulating injury breaks for players aged 30 or older can be a deterrent, and the Austrian would not be a bargain. Pöltl’s attitude is well known: he would prefer to stay in Toronto. It’s just that others decide.
