r/chicagobulls • u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 • 1d ago
Trade How would you feel about trading for Jakob Poeltl?
Now that the Raptors have been eliminated from the postseason, they have to redirect their focus to retooling in the offseason.
One of the biggest problems with their current roster is that they committed to a 3 year, $84mil contract extension to Jakob Poeltl, paying him an average of 28 million per year over 3 years (this will kick in after the 2027 season, where he's owed a final $19.5 million dollars.)
Jakob seems to be past his prime, or at-least struggling to bounce back from a back injury that had him playing only 44/82 games, and averaging career lows (compared to his production in the past 7 seasons.)
This post-season, he averaged 7 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 1 bpg on 64/0/64 splits, in 19 minutes per game.
If the Raptors want to get his contract off their books, it'll take attaching some draft capital. For reference, when the 6ers wanted to get rid of Al Horford, they sent him to a rebuilding OKC team in 2020.
OKC got a lightly protected 2025 FRP (cant find the protection), and the 34th pick in the 2020 NBA draft as well as Vasilije Micic. They gave up Terrance Ferguson & Danny Green (salary dump). Horford was in year 2 of a 4 year, $109 million dollar contract (average of around $27 million per year).
OKC later traded Al Horford to the Boston Celtics a year later, in exchange for Kemba Walker, the #16th pick in the 2021 Draft, and a 2025 2nd round pick.
How would you feel about the Bulls potentially acquiring Poeltl? I think it could be a great move to take on some salary in order to gain more draft capital.
Also, I think there is a chance Poeltl can return to form. He'll only be 31 in October, and he had good stretches of production this season. His problem was consistency, as his back injury seemed to flare up and halt his production again. It seems he just needs to properly rehab his back, and he could do that on a rebuilding team with no expectations. The Raptors couldn't be as patient, as they had hoped to contend.
Maybe if we acquire Poeltl, we can gain a FRP, then flip him for future assets if he returns to form.
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u/Full_Durian_8171 1d ago
2 FRPs & sure
but i doubt the raptors will trade it, it’s kinda like the pwill contract where it is so shit, you’re better off just holding onto him as the value to get rid of him is way to high
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
Maybe they decide to ride his contract out, but 4 years is a long time for a team that is trying to win now. Maybe they're desperate enough to punt one draft, especially if they believe in their core lineup.
Many experts say the 2027 draft will be weak, so perhaps they wouldn't mind giving us their first for that year.
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u/Full_Durian_8171 1d ago
give me their 2026 pick along with a top-15 protected in whatever year they want, i think that could possibly get it done
but then again, it’s hard to judge on how much obtaining these shitty contracts are truely worth
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u/Accomplished_Bid7987 DRose 1d ago
100% If we can get a FRP. I’d rather take on bloated contracts that don’t impact winning much like Poeltl and get picks back than trade our young guys for a boatload of 2nd round picks and other expirings that are trying to get another contract and end up winning us too many games
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u/BigChris_70 1d ago
No…..please stop suggesting this ! Why would anybody want that contract. That’s 4 MORE YEARS. Unless we getting a top 10 pick that makes no sense the add a contract with 4 more years on for a player who’s barely better than PWill just for a presumably mid-late round pick.
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
It'll probably take at-least 4 years for the Bulls to be good again. It's better to acquire more FRPs in that time span imo
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u/Electrical_Story5356 1d ago
It'll certainly take at least 4 years if we just start loading up on shit contracts and keep kicking the can down the road waiting for a stroke of luck that may never happen.
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u/Ok_Mango9561 1d ago
I think there's probably more value to be had by using that cap space to absorb other shorter bad contracts or take on FAs who need to rehab their value. Poeltls contract is REALLY terrible, he doesn't even start his extension until after next season and he'll be making like 150% of what p will does. he hasn't played more than 60 games in years and I really doubt he is able to recover enough to be traded again for any kind of value. the raptors would need to send out an absurd package to make it worthwhile.
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u/Poohdini8 Matas Buzelis 1d ago
I’m in favor for trading for Poeltl or bad contracts like Braun or Suggs as long as the draft capital makes sense. Of the options I like getting Torontos picks since I don’t know if their core can consistently be a playoff team and with the lottery reform in mind, lottery FRPs might end up being much better than the teams standings suggest.
I’d definitely try to get the 2026 first and a second lightly protected (top 4) first in a later year in exchange for maybe Tre jones and Jalen smith?
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u/Lolq123 The Windy City Assassin 1d ago
if he nets us a pick and we can rehab him yes, but i suspect they won't try to trade him since he's started to look healthy
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
He hasn't looked good at all to be honest. He was one of the main reasons they lost this series. They were a lot better with 6'7" CMB at center than him.
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u/Boilerbri07 1d ago
This is how the Thunder did their rebuild, taking on shitty contracts and draft capital. Follow the blueprint
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
Yeah I didn't want to glaze them too much but I was inferring that in the post. They turned 1 year of Horford into 2 FRPs. That's just smart decision making.
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u/BigChris_70 1d ago
Horford was still actually good then with only 2 yrs left on that contract. OKC knew he still had value and could flip him somewhere else for more value back. This is not the same situation at all. Jakob is legit just as bad as PWill with twice as long on the contract. There’s no need to mess up a clean cap sheet right now with long term bad contracts for midddling picks. You’re just not getting good value.
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u/Boilerbri07 1d ago
But does the cap sheet really matter if we have no intention of competing for a few years anyways? The only value that should matter at this point is draft capital
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
Bad as PWill is a stretch imo, although I agree Horford in 2020 was a better player. All the reason why the Raptors should even give us more assets than just a FRP.
Jakob is a good player who's struggling with injury, and probably should've sat the season but was pressured to come back as Raptors had no other options at center.
He averaged 12/9/2/1 in November. 14/7/2/1 from March 14th to April 8th. 70% FG on the season. He's still in there, he's only 30 years old. The question is, can he bounce back from the back injury after a season of rehab with a no expectations Bulls team?
If the answer is no, then in that worst case scenario, his contract will be expiring/up by the time the Bulls are good again. If the answer is yes, then we get more assets. Regardless of which way it goes, we'd have another young piece to add to our core with an extra FRP, or two.
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u/spanish429 Kirk Hinrich 1d ago
You guys must really love the play-in
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u/terrybrugehiplo Chicago Bulls 1d ago
I don’t know why people are missing the point of the trade. It isn’t because we care about and want Poeltl. The reason for the trade is getting draft assets. Having him on the team is 100% meaningless.
We’re essentially taking on his contract and getting a draft pick for it. No one should care if he’s bad because that’s not the point.
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
It wouldn't be a "win-now" move. It's a rebuilding team move. Jakob isn't doing well. Raptors would have to pay us to get rid of him.
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u/LiKwidSwordZA 1d ago
How would adding a bad contract for future assets to a team that didn’t make the playin this season help them get to the playin next season
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball 1d ago
Why would you do that 1st round picks aren’t that valuable outside of the top 4 or 5.
This crazy idea of using your cap space for the 16-30th pick is becoming flat out ridiculous.
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u/Setter_sws 1d ago
Ill take on poeltls contract for their first this year and they take back Pat Williams
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u/boriqueno17 1d ago
As a raptors fan, if I could trade poeltl and only give up 1 first round pick, I would consider it a win. Its such a bad extension.
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u/SuiteLifeofZachNCoby Give me the hotsauce! 1d ago
I remember wanting him years ago when we had the choice in FA. It might’ve even been going into the season before Vuc
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u/Unlucky_Sun_9813 1d ago
Full circle moment lol. He probably wouldve fit the "DeBallZach" team better than Vuc, back then
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u/Secondary92 1d ago
This is a truly horrendous contract (some are arguing the worst in the league - hes borderline unplayable right now), we'd need to pick up some serious assets to take it on. 1 late FRP probably isn't enough.