The Spurs center is in a contract season and his future in San Antonio remains an open question.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs‘ Jakob Poeltl is currently in a contract season.
He’ll be entering unrestricted free agency this offseason and is currently a hot commodity with trade rumors being bandied about with his name.
But barring a deal before the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline, entering free agency is an exciting time for the Spurs center as he feels it will allow him to control his own NBA future.
“I’ve never been in this situation where unrestricted free agency is coming up. It’s a cool situation for sure because in the NBA, a lot of times you are — I don’t want to say stuck — but it feels like you’re a little bit of a pawn,” said Poeltl in a chat with Yahoo! Sports. “They can just trade you around wherever they want.”
This isn’t the first time Poeltl has addressed his impending free agency.
Ahead of the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, he said he isn’t worried about the situation and would like to re-sign and remain in San Antonio.
“I’m not worried. The NBA is very competitive. No question,” Poeltl said.
On the other hand, he also notes the Spurs are rebuilding for the future and will take a look at the status of the team should he finish up his final contract year in Silver and Black.
“I would like to be successful with such a young team. I’m aware that on paper we’re not there to be upfront in the playoffs. It will be quite a challenge to even get there,” he said.
Poeltl is currently averaging 12.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 20 games played this season. He’s been shelved with a right knee bone bruise over the last few games.
He remains one of the league’s best centers and teams are reportedly seeking his services from Toronto to Boston.
“Your contract can get passed around, more or less, whenever and however they want,” Poeltl said to Yahoo! Sports. “So it’s nice to be in this situation where you can kind of decide your own fate and evaluate what’s going to be the best situation for me.”
He is arguably the Spurs’ best trade asset and should the team trade him, he could fetch top future draft picks along with young, promising players.
For now, he is still in San Antonio and will be looking forward to helping the franchise in its rebuild.
And if he does stay in San Antonio for his full, final contract season, afterward he admits he’ll look at his NBA future and if remaining a Spur makes sense for his NBA career.
“I will take a close look at the situation next summer, whether it makes sense or not,” Poeltl said.
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