No surprise here as it’s been clear the Raptors covet Poeltl. The 29-year-old center’s name was kept out of trade discussions, including when the Raptors were calling on the availability of Kevin Durant before he was traded to Houston. Poeltl averaged 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds across 57 games for the Raptors last year. He’s locked in as the Raptors center for the next four years after picking up his player option and adding three additional years.

With Toronto being one of the teams mentioned as a potential destination for Suns forward Kevin Durant, Poeltl’s name came up as part of a possible trade package. However, Michael Grange reported Friday evening that the Raptors are not interested in including Poeltl in a trade for KD. NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed Grange’s report and added that the Raptors and Poeltl have “mutual interest” in working out a contract extension. While there is a feeling around the league that Toronto is open to trading down ahead of Wednesday’s draft, as they hold the ninth overall pick, there’s no desire to move on from their starting center.

Wednesday’s game will be the third in four that Poeltl has not played due to injury. His absence has freed up additional minutes for Jonathan Mogbo and Orlando Robinson, with the former starting Sunday’s game against the Nets. As for Boucher, he has not appeared in a game since February 26. While he is technically healthy. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said it would be unfair to Chris to play him under those circumstances.

The pair sat out the first leg of Toronto’s back-to-back set on Thursday, but they’ll be back on Friday to presumably handle their normal workload. Jamal Shead and Orlando Robinson will likely retreat back to the bench after filling in with the first unit on Thursday.