Getty Trey Lyles #41 of the Sacramento Kings drives between Doug McDermott #17 of the San Antonio Spurs and Jakob Poeltl #25
At some point, there has to be enough smoke around the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl to think there may be a fire. The two sides were linked ahead of the trade deadline this past season.
Chicago had already made the blockbuster (for them) sign-and-trade to land DeMar DeRozan last summer.
The Spurs hold their 2025 first-round pick because of it.
But Poeltl offers something they are still searching for: a complement for starter Nikola Vucevic, which they think they have in Andre Drummond. And an Eastern Conference executive tells Heavy’s Sean Deveney that there’s a way to make it work for everybody, including a surprise destination for White.
Jakob Poeltl Would help Bulls
The Spurs are heading into a clear tank for 7-foot-3 phenom Victor Wembanyama of France. That could lead them to unload some of their more veteran players to ensure they have the best shot possible, much like with their trade sending Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this offseason.
Murray, an All-Star and steals leader last season, fetched a hefty sum largely in the form of draft capital.
The executive doesn’t think Poeltl would cost the Bulls much more than spare parts. He does say that Poeltl’s situation with the Spurs makes it hard to get a read on his availability while adding that the Bulls’ asset collection is not great compared to what the Spurs might want.
Bulls Get
- Jakob Poeltl
Mavs Get
Spurs get
- Davis Bertans
- Marko Simonovic
- 1st Round Pick (via DAL)
“I am not sure how hard the Spurs are pushing for a Poeltl trade,” the executive says, “they want to be bad this year, they have their eyes on Victor. But you gotta field a team. I also don’t know how much they want more wings. More than anything, they’re going to want picks and that is where it gets complicated because the Bulls owe picks next year and in 2025, and we don’t know when the Portland pick (lottery protected) is going to transfer.”
Poeltl is a 7-foot-1 rim protector who has averaged nearly 2.0 blocks per game over the last two seasons in San Antonio. He was drafted ninth-overall in 2016 by the Toronto Raptors who traded him to the Spurs along with DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard in 2018.
The former Utah Utes big man is heading into the final year of his contract at $9.4 million.
He could slot in as the third big behind Drummond giving the Bulls another option with Vucevic’s contract, like White’s, set to expire after this coming season or if they make a move during.
Coby White Could Help Mavs
White was the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but the Bulls have since changed management and the group that drafted him is no longer in power.
His future has been in question for the past year and remains that way today.
That doesn’t mean that the Bulls and Spurs can’t work something out which is where the Mavs come in, explains the executive.
“I think more realistic is adding a third team like Dallas, send them Coby White, Poeltl to Chicago and then Simonovic and Davis Bertans back to San Antonio with a pick from Dallas, 2025 or 2026. Spurs might want more, but they can take a flier on Simonovic and they really want a pick.”
🌪️ Coby White Spin Cycle 🌪️
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Dallas could use a scorer with Jalen Brunson leaving for the New York Knicks this offseason.
Simonovic was a second-round pick by the Bulls in 2020 and remains a work in progress since coming over to the states last summer. He figures to see rotation minutes this coming season. But he is far from having proven anything at the NBA level outside of the G-League.
Bertans, 29, is a stretch big that offers little else.
He also still has two years and $33 million on his contract guaranteed plus a player option for 2024-25 worth another $16 million.
That is a lot for a player the Spurs likely do not want. But they won’t be appreciably better with him on the roster and could always flip the 6-foot-10 marksman for more assets if they chose to do so.
Bulls’ Backup Plan
Predictions for the Bulls have ranged mostly from them finishing about the same as last season or taking a considerable slide all the way to blowing it all up. Rarely have we heard any predictions of improvements but a move like this could spark that.
They would have to figure out their rotation – this makes more sense with Jalen Brunson, perhaps, as the result of a separate deal.
Most offensive rebounds last season:
349 — Steven Adams
295 — Mitchell Robinson
279 — Clint Capela
262 — Jakob Poeltl
But the Bulls went sniffing around Poeltl once and could do so again. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported not only that the Bulls are ready to pivot if need be. But also that they would gear towards a more defensively-oriented group around two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.
This would be a step towards that.
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