Jakob Poeltl, Spurs Finalizing 3-Year, $27M Contract Agreement

The San Antonio Spurs apparently saw enough out of Jakob Poeltl to keep him for the next three seasons.

On Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the Spurs are on the verge of re-signing the big man to a three-year, near $27 million deal. 

The University of Utah product played for the Toronto Raptors the first two seasons of his career before they traded him to San Antonio as part of the package that brought Kawhi Leonard north of the border. While that clearly worked out for the Raptors, who won a title with Leonard leading the way, Poeltl has been a solid role player for the Spurs.

He averaged 5.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game last season as part of the frontcourt rotation, although his inability to hit from the outside limits his tendency to create matchup problems.

Perhaps his best attribute is his interior defense.

Opponents shot 11.8 percent worse than their normal averages within six feet of the basket when Poeltl guarded them last season. That is a testament to his height at 7'1" and his sense of spacing on the defensive side.

Poeltl is not going to carry the Spurs by any stretch, but he is a rotation player who will look to help guide them back into the playoffs after missing out in 2019-20 and snapping their streak of 22 straight postseason appearances.