Raptors shore up centre position with Jakob Poeltl contract extension, free agency signing

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NBA free agency opened Tuesday with plenty of pomp and circumstance, including a rare buyout of a superstar’s contract.

But as expected, the Raptors shopped in the bargain aisle.

Which isn’t to say they didn’t do a little in-house work.

All signs had pointed to Toronto working out a long-term deal with starting centre Jakob Poeltl this month, and that’s what happened.

Poeltl and the Raptors agreed to a four-year deal worth $104 million U.S., ESPN first reported. It’s a raise for Poeltl, who had a year remaining worth $19.5 million on his contract with the option to opt in for another, which was never going to happen because he was worth more on the market. The Raptors and Poeltl’s representatives just saw talented Minnesota big man Naz Reid get $125 million over five years and agreed to a similar type of valuation (Reid is four years younger which is partly why he got an extra year most likely).

Poeltl was drafted ninth overall by the Raptors in 2016 and initially developed behind Jonas Valanciunas before both centres were dealt in separate 2018-19 deals that resulted in Toronto winning the NBA title.

Poeltl was brought back in February of 2023 to finally solve the massive hole in the middle that had held back the Raptors since Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka left.

Toronto now has its core locked in, but further moves will likely have to be made to get the payroll in a more reasonable area considering the group’s upside.

Earlier in the day, tight to the NBA’s punitive luxury tax and first apron, Toronto, in its first move without having Masai Ujiri in charge since 2013, agreed to terms with centre Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The 26-year-old is a 6-foot-11, 240 pound big man who is a threat to stretch the floor, something the Raptors, second-worst in the NBA in three-point makes per game last season, badly need behind starting frontcourt players Poeltl and Scottie Barnes. Mamukelashvili hit 37.3% of his three-point attempts last season and has nailed 34.8% over four years and 191 games in the NBA.

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Born in New York City, Mamukelashvili and his family moved to Tbilisi in their native Georgia when he was a baby. He played in Italy as a teenager before heading to Montverde Academy in Florida, where in a coincidence, he played with now Raptors teammate RJ Barrett. He then played four years at Seton Hall before being drafted 54th overall by Indiana in 2021 and traded that week to Milwaukee.

He has shown flashes including 12 points, four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes in his season finale against the Raptors last year and 19 in his previous outing, plus his breakout game for San Antonio against New York in March where he scored 34 points, nailing seven three-pointers and 13 of 14 free throw attempts in one of the season’s true out of nowhere moments.

Mamukelashvili joined the Spurs just weeks after Poeltl was dealt back to Toronto in 2023, getting claimed off waivers.

Mamukelashvili is regarded as a dangerous shooter with strong offensive instincts, particularly when it comes to passing, which should endear him to Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.

He’s seen as a great presence in a locker room in addition to his skills on the court and was on the all-academic team while at Seton Hall.

The negative is he’s seen as an extremely poor defender, whether guarding power forwards or centres. But Toronto can build formidable defensive lineups around him and desperately needs shooting, particularly up front, so the logic to the addition is clear.

The headline of the day is definitely Poeltl’s new deal, which can become official on July 6, but Mamukelashvili should help as well.

It wasn’t as splashy as Damian Lillard getting bought out or Myles Turner joining Milwaukee from runner-up Indiana, but with limited flexibility, Bobby Webster did well.