As trade season approaches, we take a look at five trades Toronto could make to release Jakob Poeltl, a member of the team that has been rumored multiple times. Will Toronto be able to break his contract and come to an agreement? Or are the rumors just a big smokescreen?

1. Raptors land in Okongwu

If you look at the win analysis, you’ll see that Atlanta is losing by 10 games based on projections. Here’s everything you need to know about former Chino Hills star Onyeka Okungwu. At 6-foot-10, he’s a little on the small side for the center position, but he’s a solid defender considering his size, averaging 1.2 steals and 1 block per game, and a 1.8 defensive win percentage. In fact, he has won defensively throughout his career. He’s one of the great bigs of the modern era, averaging 16.3 points and is also a capable three-ball shooter, hitting a whopping 36.9 three-point percentage on 5.4 attempts per game. Of course, he can also make out with an excellent rebounding average of 7.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Literally everything you need is at Okongwu. Now, the hard sell on this would be that the Hawks are probably going to cost Poeltl at least two first-round picks, and anything more could lead to dangerous territory. But for Bobby Webster and the Toronto Raptors front office, it’s definitely worth a try.

2. Toronto acquires Nick Claxton

Another relatively young center, Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets, is only 26 years old (he turns 27 on April 17th). Claxton doesn’t have the same versatility as Onyeka Okongwu, as he has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 19.2, but he is very versatile in other ways. He averaged 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, shooting 58.4 percent from the field, 0.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks. He’s also never been negative in the defensive win share category, with his only drawback being limited shooting, and even his free throw percentage isn’t all that high at 64.7 percent. But I imagine he could be acquired for less, as one first-round pick and perhaps a second or second-round pick could be enough for a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets team.

3. Raptors acquire Kalkbrenner

I won’t lie, most of these trades are very ambitious and rely on Toronto acquiring a first-round pick or even more, but what if the Hornets are already ready to part ways with Kalkbrenner? The 7-foot-1 center is just beginning his career, but the Charlotte Hornets currently use Moussa Diabete as their starting center, so they may be willing to part ways with a giant who already averages 1.5 blocks and 6.3 rebounds per game and provides excellent rim protection. Again, a pick would have to be involved on the Toronto side, but perhaps a Kalkbrenner call-up could lead to something, as we don’t know what these general managers will do these days after the Luka Doncic trade. The Raptors will also get back Mason Plumlee, who can serve as an emergency backup as he’s always been a solid playmaker, and they’ll also get Grant Williams for a salary match.

4. Nurkic finds himself in Toronto

Speaking of playmaking bigs, Jusuf Nurkic may be one of the most underrated playmaking centers in this league. That’s because he’s been on a tear in the struggling Utah Jazz lineup this season. Nurkic’s time in the NBA seemed to be over after a tough run against Kevin Durant’s super team in Phoenix, but he has bounced back extremely well since leaving the Suns. Like Okongwu, he has the floor-to-floor versatility that Poeltl lacks, shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, but he also suffers from poor rim protection, averaging just 0.6 blocks per game this season despite a respectable career average of 1.6 blocks. Perhaps playing for a contender could light a fire under defenseman Nurkic, which honestly could come at a lower cost than most of these trades, and perhaps even one first-round pick or some prospect in the deal could complete the offer.

5. Toronto tries to turn back the Time Lord clock.

This is kind of a gamble, as Robert Williams III is a very injury-prone player, but at one time “The Time Lord” was one of the best rim-protecting centers in the league, or at least looked like he could be one. This trade should be the cheapest for Toronto, as I don’t think it would cost more than Jakob Poeltl to get it done. Maybe a second-round pick or prospect is enough to get them over the finish line, but I’m concerned about the Raptors’ front office. Are they going to take a chance on the undersized (listed at 6-foot-9) and injury-prone center? Chinese rookie Yang Hansen, who has regained the size Toronto needs, is a highly anticipated prospect during the offseason, draft period and summer league. Could he live up to the hype? It’s a big gamble for Bobby Webster, but if things play out right, it could be a great trade for the Raptors.