Does this trade make sense for the Toronto Raptors?

While Jakob Poeltl does give the Toronto Raptors more reliable frontcourt depth and fill a void that they have at the center position, the Raptors have other problems to figure out. 

Toronto’s bench ranks dead-last in the league in scoring this season and until they add some more secondary scoring depth, they are not going to be a threat in the Eastern Conference. 

Precious Achiuwa, Khem Birch and Chris Boucher have not been great this season, but each of these three players have not been bad either. They have all done their job and then some throughout the season, so trading for Jakob Poeltl really does seem like a waste of what could be a valuable first-round pick this season. 

Right now, the Raptors are on the cusp of the playoffs and while they could absolutely make moves to claim a playoff spot, it is hard to imagine that they have what it takes to take down the Nets, Bucks and/or Heat in the first-round of the playoffs. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Toronto Raptors Interested In Trade To Bring Back Jakob Poeltl

Missing the playoffs yet again and gathering another high-level prospect to pair with this past year’s Top-5 pick in Scottie Barnes moving forward makes a lot of sense for this franchise. Having a solidified starting-five under contract for at least the next 2-3 years, all the Raptors need to do is add more offensive threats to their bench. 

Trading for Jakob Poeltl makes the Raptors’ frontcourt better talent-wise, but really does not change the outlook of this team this season or moving forward.