It’s no secret that the Chicago Bulls intend to be active players in this year’s trade deadline, as the team looks to address their interior woes and neverending battle against the injury bug. While many dubious rumors have surfaced about Chicago’s intentions, the Bulls’ new front office has proven to be notoriously tight-lipped. If this latest report is to be believed, however, Jakob Poeltl could soon be donning a Bulls uniform.
Marc Stein reports that the Bulls and Toronto Raptors are among the leading candidates to secure a trade for the Austrian big man. It should come as no surprise that Toronto would be in the market for an upgrade at the five, as the team’s search for a permanent center has carried on for well over a year now. However, it’s much more surprising to see the Bulls in talks for San Antonio’s rapidly improving big man.
This serves as a stark reminder of the last season’s trade deadline, where the Bulls swooped in and made a big move for Nikola Vucevic, despite virtually no indication Chicago had interest in the European star. Leading up to the deadline, it was the expectation of many that the Boston Celtic would actually swing a move for Vucevic, not Chicago.
Yet again, the Bulls find themselves in a great position to make a move for a cost-controlled talent that would significantly increase the team’s ability to make a deep playoff push. The only obstacle in their path is negotiating a fair price, something Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have proven time and time again of being more than capable of doing.
The Chicago Bulls are showing interest in trading for San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, per @TheSteinLine. https://t.co/nvY7rvUANb
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) February 4, 2022
With sources reporting that Spurs center Jakob Poeltl may soon be on the move, the Chicago Bulls look primed to strike gold at the trade deadline.
Poetltl is in the midst of an outstanding season with the Spurs, as the six-year veteran is enjoying career-bests in nearly every statistical category. In just 28.7 minutes per game, Poeltl is averaging an impressive 13.1 points, 9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. While originally just an add-on in the 2018 swap of Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, Poeltl has proven to be a quality player in his own right.
Standing at an enormous 7-foot-1 with a 245-pound frame, Jakob would immediately address Chicago’s lack of interior size in the paint. All too often, opposing teams bully the Bulls down low on the boards and create a huge rebounding disparity. In fact, the Bulls grab just 13.4 contested rebounds per game, a mark which ranks 29th in the NBA and ahead of only the lowly Orlando Magic.
Poeltl is the rare type of player that impacts both ends of the floor in a positive way without requiring the ball in his hands. Considering Chicago already has three offensive powerhouses and a multitude of capable ball handlers behind them, Poeltl is exactly the type of player the Bulls need to raise their ceiling to championship contender status.
Best of all, he could be acquired without jeopardizing the financial future of the roster moving forward. Poeltl is making a meager (relative to his performance) $8.75 million this season and is owed just shy of $9.4 million next year. For reference, Poeltl is being paid less than Derrick Jones Jr. this year and is on a deal comparable to the one Alex Caruso just signed this summer.
Jakob Poeltl is set to hit unrestricted free agency following next season, which means he is a potential flight risk. That being said, this is not an issue that should concern the Bulls. Chicago has the core of DeRozan, Caruso, Patrick Williams, and Ayo Dosunmu on contract past 2023; Zach LaVine should also be set to join this group upon signing a max contract with the team in the summer.
The Bulls appear to be intentionally loading their books up so that the front office will have significant cap space to play with during the summer of 2023. Chicago will have the option to either pay to retain Vucevic or Poeltl or perhaps chase a notable free agent superstar — like Nikola Jokic.
If the Bulls can attain a dominant frontcourt pairing at a low price, it’s a move I can absolutely see Karnisovas and Eversley making. Of course, the Spurs will likely have a high asking price and won’t move Poeltl for nothing. I do not believe the Bulls intend to make Williams available in trade talks, so it would be on Chicago to negotiate a deal surrounding Coby White.
Given how the Lonnie Walker experiment has failed, I don’t see this as an impossible angle to sell either. Dejounte Murray has risen to be an All-Star-caliber player, and he needs a legitimate running mate. White could be that guy for San Antonio and would have the opportunity to flourish in a bigger role. Murray would compensate for Coby’s defense, while White would provide an offensive punch with his shooting (which Dejounte lacks).
A potential deal is still far from set in stone, but at least it appears the front office has already started greasing the wheels on a deal that would immediately make the Bulls better. Poeltl may not end up being the guy Chicago makes a deal for, but for the right price, I would not be mad at all if he does end up being that guy.