Poeltl on returning to Raptors: ‘I’m just looking forward to the future’

Jakob Poeltl says he had other options in free agency, but returning to the Toronto Raptors was ultimately an easy decision to make.

The 27-year-old centre played the first two seasons of his career with the Raptors after they drafted him ninth overall in 2016. He reunited with the club at the trade deadline this past February in a deal with the San Antonio Spurs.

Poeltl and the Raptors reportedly agreed to a new four-year, $80-million contract when the negotiation period for free agents opened on June 30.

“I knew [at the time of the] trade, and I knew after the season, that Toronto was definitely going to be my favourite going into free agency,” Poeltl told TSN 1050 on Friday.

“There were some other options out there, but … the way everything panned out – the negotiations with the Raptors – it all went very smoothly. So, it was a pretty easy decision at the end of the day.”

The Raptors have already undergone significant changes this off-season, with the hiring of new head coach Darko Rajakovic to replace Nick Nurse and the departure of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet in free agency.

Poeltl, who averaged 13.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in 26 appearances with the Raptors after the trade, said changes just come with the territory in the NBA.

“These things are to be expected,” Poeltl said. “Obviously, losing a guy like Fred is tough for us as a team. It's tough for me as a player as well because I feel like we really developed some chemistry over the years and also especially this past half season.

“It's one of those things where you roll with the punches. I know they're going to bring in new, talented players. We already brought in a bunch of other new, talented players. So, I'm just looking forward to the future.”

Entering his eighth season, Poeltl is still expecting to work alongside close friend Pascal Siakam.

“He's sort of my first and oldest NBA friend,” Poeltl said. “We've always had good chemistry on the court as well. I'm looking forward to working together with him again.

“Maybe this time around, I'm actually getting some time to prepare, getting some time during preseason and during training camp to really work on our games together and figure out what's best for us and for the team on the court.”

The 7-foot-1 native of Vienna, Austria also said he embraces taking on a leadership role with the Raptors.

“I do like that role. I find myself in situations a lot where I feel like I can take on a lot of different roles. Whatever is asked of me as far as play style and leadership. I can very much be a guy that just sits back and kind of lets other people take over or if it's needed, I can definitely take on a leadership role as well,” he said.

“It's also important to have different types of leadership on the team, so hopefully we'll have a bunch of different guys taking over different parts of that responsibility.”