3 trade deadline targets the Bulls were smart to avoid

Trade deadline targets the Chicago Bulls were smart to avoid: Jakob Poeltl

While the idea of the Bulls getting Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline this season sounded great, the actual cost of getting that done likely just wasn’t worth it for this team. Poeltl didn’t actually get moved by the Spurs at the trade deadline, as their talks with the Charlotte Hornets would wind up falling flat on Feb. 10.

According to a report from Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype last week, the discussions that were taking place between the Spurs and Hornets to send Poeltl to Chicago also involved the likes of draft capital, rookie big man Kai Jones, and forward PJ Washington. It looks like what the Spurs wanted for Poeltl was a first-round draft pick, Jones, and Washington.

That was a lot for the Hornets to give up, and those lofty requests could be why these discussions fell flat in the end.

If the Bulls were actually going to get a deal done with the Spurs to land Poeltl, the cost likely would be outrageous. It’s hard to know what an equivalent deal would be for the Bulls to trade for Poeltl compared to what the Hornets would’ve had to give up. But it’s easy to say that the Bulls are better off looking into the buyout market for frontcourt help.

Both the Bulls and Hornets could be the smart ones in the end concerning any potential trade deadline movement with Poeltl. The Bulls can now explore the buyout market instead of giving up a king’s ransom for Poeltl. And the Hornets got a much cheaper deal for another impact big man in Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards.