Raptors' Kevin Durant Decision Resurfaces After $100 Million News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt R. John | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 4:49 PM ET

The Toronto Raptors have made it clear how much they value their starting center, Jakob Poeltl. The big man, who was originally their lottery pick in 2016, was re-acquired in 2023 and has now extended with the team. His new deal will keep him on the roster until 2030.

ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that Poeltl signed a four-year extension worth $104 million. He added, "Poeltl will pick up his 2026-27 player option at $19.5M and add three additional years to his deal."

Additional details of his new deal have not been announced yet. Poetl is coming off a season where he put up career-highs scoring-wise (14.5 points per game) and rebounding-wise (9.6 rebounds per game).

At 29 years old, the Raptors center is entering his prime. With Poeltl locked up, NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed that the Raptors center played a factor in the team's pursuit of Kevin Durant before he was traded. Even though Toronto wanted the former MVP, Poeltl was off-limits because the team's plan was to keep him and pay him.

"Toronto didn’t want to include Jakob Poeltl in any trade for Kevin Durant," Fischer wrote. "They wanted to give that a man a bag."

Toronto didn’t want to include Jakob Poeltl in any trade for Kevin Durant.

They wanted to give that a man a bag.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 1, 2025

Instead, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets, who settled for a package featuring Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which became Khaman Maluach.

The Raptors have been handing out multiple expensive contract extensions over the past year, signing Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram to new deals worth over $100 million.