Grading a proposed Warriors, Jazz, and Spurs 3-team trade for Poeltl

With the NBA trade deadline less than two months away and several playoff teams from last season struggling, the San Antonio Spurs could be the team they turn to to make a trade. One player that's getting a lot of attention is center Jakob Poeltl, who has seen his name linked to both the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors thus far this season.

Although the Spurs may prefer to keep him, they could receive an offer that they can't refuse. That offer could be similar to the hypothetical three-team blockbuster deal that was floated by Fanspo. But would the Spurs actually trade Poeltl? Let's take a closer look at the deal and find out.

Would the Spurs agree to a 3-team deal with the Jazz and Warriors?

The Spurs and Warriors have already discussed a trade based around Poeltl and James Wiseman, but the Spurs are more interested in Moses Moody. In this theoretical deal, the Spurs would get a player that they like in Moody as well as the Warriors' 2023 first-round pick, which is currently ranked 11th.

Assuming the Warriors improve from this trade, that would hurt their pick, but the pick could still be one in the teens. Considering the quality of the 2023 NBA draft and that the Spurs only have one first-rounder (barring Charlotte turning their season around), adding another pick would be very valuable. Moody and a possible lottery pick for Poeltl would be hard to say no to, and I don't believe that they would.

For the Warriors, they would get two frontcourt upgrades in Poeltl and Jarred Vanderbilt. While Wiseman and Moody are two recent top-seven lottery picks, with their title window seemingly closing, adding two starting-caliber players would be good return value for Golden State. Poeltl would presumably start for the Warriors, pushing Kevon Looney to the second unit and JaMychal Green out of the rotation.

That alone could help the Warriors since JaMychal Green has underperformed as the team's backup center this season. As for Vanderbilt, despite his versatility, particularly on the defensive end, he might not make as much of an immediate impact as many would assume.

After all, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga currently take up the lion's share of minutes at the four, while Poeltl, Looney, and Draymond Green would split time at center. Still, I think that the Warriors would say yes to this deal and try to figure out the moving parts later.

The Spurs could get plenty of long-term value from the trade.

The Jazz are in a unique position where they are trying to compete for the playoffs while also rebuilding. As a result, they can afford to take a shot on Wiseman in hopes that he could eventually live up to his latent potential.

Wiseman's stock is still pretty low at the moment, despite some recent encouraging performances, and many teams probably don't see him as an asset, but it only takes one. That said, since Vanderbilt is currently better and has plenty of room to grow, the Jazz could be loathed to give him up for a risk like Wiseman. Based on that, I think the Jazz would say no to this deal.

All in all, this is a pretty good hypothetical B-grade trade, with two of the teams likely saying yes to it. The Jazz would be the only sticking point, but they could be cut out. Instead, the Spurs and Warriors could complete a similar trade where the Spurs acquire Moody, their first-round pick in 2023, and the Warriors receive Poeltl.

That would still give the team two valuable assets, including a recent lottery pick with two seasons remaining on his rookie contract. It would also give them a potential late lottery selection, which the Spurs could use to draft a promising prospect or pair with their pick to try and trade up. Either way, both trade scenarios would be advantageous to the Spurs.