NBA Rumors: Raptors, Spurs Discussing 3-Team Trade

The buzz around San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl on the trade market is heating up, and once again, the Toronto Raptors are right in the mix. The latest rumor has the teams discussing a 3-way swap.

The Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs have a discussed a three-team deal involving Gary Trent Jr. and Jakob Poeltl, per https://t.co/4U5Kxkktsm pic.twitter.com/cTcW6xNOpf

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 23, 2023

According to Spurs Insider LJ Ellis of SpursTalk, the deal would involve Poeltl, the former Raptor, and Gary Trent Jr., the impending free agent Toronto wing. 

He says that the Raptors' offers to the Spurs around Poeltl are getting “increasingly aggressive.”  

While Toronto is said to have multiple trade offers on the table for Poeltl, a league source told me that the offer that has gained the most traction so far is a three-team trade that also involves Gary Trent Jr.

Ellis doesn't go on to speculate who that third team would be, but it's obviously a contender that would be interested in the scoring of Trent Jr. for a playoff run. The Spurs wouldn't have any interest in Trent at all, as he's entering free agency after the season.

Poeltl was the Raptors' No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, and he was a big factor in the up-and-coming bench mob before he was traded to the Spurs as part of the landmark Kawhi Leonard trade that brought a championship to Toronto. It would be full-circle for the big man if he was to return to The Six. 

Trent has proven himself as a viable scorer in the league in his two years with the Raptors, currently averaging over 18 points per game for the second straight season. 

Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports