3 free agent centers that would fit better with Bulls than Nikola Vucevic

2. Jakob Poeltl

Dating back to the 2022 trade deadline, the Bulls have remained linked to Jakob Poeltl on the rumor mill ever since. Even after acquiring Vucevic in 2021, Chicago’s frontcourt remained relatively weak and many believed a player like Poeltl could be the perfect answer down low.

It was even reported that the Bulls ponied up and made an offer for Poeltl, but the Spurs rejected any advances. At the time, it was believed Chicago was offering either Coby White or a heavily-protected first-round pick. Seeing as how things played out, I think it’s probably for the best that San Antonio didn’t accept the Bulls’ offer.

That’s because now, Chicago may have the chance to poach him for free.

Free agency may finally bring Jakob Poeltl to the Chicago Bulls

Well, not exactly free. Poeltl’s services will certainly be desired by many teams this summer, and Jerry Reinsdorf will have to foot the bill here if he wants to bring the Austrian big man aboard. When I say free, I’m referring to the fact the Bulls won’t have to expend any additional assets to sign Poeltl. For a lottery team that has sent out several future draft picks and has a relatively poor young core, spending anything extra for Poeltl would have been disastrous.

Since becoming a full-time starter at the onset of the 2021-22 season, Poeltl has averaged 12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game despite only seeing the court 27 minutes per night. Although Poeltl isn’t the shooter Vucevic is, he’s a significantly better defender and crashes the offensive boards at twice the rate as Vooch. Building around Poeltl’s strengths would simply be a much more suitable alternative for the Bulls, and the 27-year-old talent would actually match this team’s timeline.