The Celtics have reportedly been looking for frontcourt help ahead of Thursday afternoon's trade deadline, and the name they had probably been linked to the most was Jakob Poeltl.
They won't be getting Poeltl, though. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the San Antonio Spurs are instead sending the 27-year-old center to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Khem Birch, a 2024 protected first-round pick and two future second-round picks.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer had reported on Wednesday that the Celtics were exploring possible packages that included Danilo Gallinari and Payton Pritchard, and noted that Poeltl and Mo Bamba were two big men who matched up salary-wise.
While Poeltl, who is averaging 12.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, would have made sense for that return, it's harder to make the case for Bamba, who is averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in a depth role for the lowly Orlando Magic. He did average 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in a bigger role last year, though, and he can shoot the three (38.6% over the last two years).
Other big men the Celtics have been linked to include Utah's Kelly Olynyk and Detroit's Nerlens Noel. Noel would likely be even less of an impact addition than Bamba and his $9.2 million salary could be a sticking point, but a reunion with Olynyk could make sense.
Olynyk, who spent his first four seasons in Boston from 2013-17, is a different kind of big, but can create some matchup problems with his ability to stretch the floor and shoot threes (39.6% this season). He's averaging 11.6 points, 5.0 assists and 3.2 assists per game for the Jazz this season.
Whatever the Celtics are going to do, we'll know by 3 p.m. Thursday.
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