Raptors Jakob Poeltl-Myles Turner trade, Digi Mart USA News: Going into the Toronto Raptors’ Friday matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, it felt like this could potentially be a tryout game for Myles Turner. With so many conversations around the Raptors’ frontcourt and lack of floor spacing, trading for Turner could, in theory, kill two birds with one stone.
Turner is on a similar contract to Poeltl, making a trade financially plausible for both sides. However, Turner gave the Raptors over 100 reasons not to engage in trade talks for the Bucks big, as Poeltl dominated their matchup.
Poeltl finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, and four stocks (steals plus blocks) on 9-of-14 shooting. Without his performance, the Raptors do not win this game.
Once Poeltl realized Turner was not an interior force and had no way to stop him on the glass or score inside, he began playing much more aggressively.
For many Raptors fans, the image of Turner from Indiana’s 2025 Finals run remains vivid. That shot-blocking, floor-spacing version of Turner could theoretically provide what Toronto needs from a center.
That is not who Turner is anymore, and the way he played against Toronto should end any trade buzz he was generating.
Turner went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-4 from three on Friday evening. One game should not necessarily sink his trade value, since every player has off nights, but this performance is not an isolated case.
This season, Turner is averaging 7.1 points on 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 26.7 percent from three. The big man who gave him trouble has also struggled to stay on the court all season because of bad fouls and poor play.
For Turner, it was not just a bad night. The game was the culmination of what has been an awful start to the year for him.
Two things can be true at once. Poeltl’s play against Turner and the Bucks should halt trade proposals that swap the two bigs, but that does not mean Jakob is off the hook.
Many people seem ready to move on from how poorly he has played, or feel this was the turning-point game he needed.
The Bucks’ frontcourt of Turner and Kel’el Ware has been outplayed in nearly every matchup this season. While it is encouraging to see Jakob regain his swagger and, hopefully, his confidence, it does not change the fact that Toronto remains extremely thin at center, and the Raptors still need to upgrade that spot.
Whether through adding a depth piece to absorb minutes or acquiring a starting-caliber center, something needs to be done. Going into Monday night’s matchup against Memphis, a team with a large, deep and talented frontcourt, relying on Jakob and Trayce Jackson-Davis as the only true centers is unlikely to end well.
