San Antonio Spurs Receive: C Al Horford, LAC 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected)

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: C Jakob Poeltl

Last offseason, the Spurs signed Jakob Poeltl to a three-year, $26.2M deal and he played well for them this year, but they should definitely be interested in trading him should they be able to get Horford and a first-round pick next year. 

In 69 games with San Antonio this year, Poeltl averaged 8.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and shot 61.6% from the floor. This was definitely the best season of his now 5 year NBA career, but he received a big boost in playing time when LaMarcus Aldridge was no longer in the Spurs rotation. 

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Moving forward, Poeltl is projected to be the starting center for the Spurs, but he does not seem like the long-term solution for them. Al Horford certainly would not be the long-term solution for the Spurs, but he is a great short-term player for them at the center position and gives them more value now than Jakob Poeltl does. 

Defensively, the Spurs would take a hit by trading away Poeltl, but there is definitely value to be had for them in the short-term by adding Horford to their roster. As for the Thunder, trading away one of their many first-round draft picks should not really be a concern for them and adding Jakob Poeltl to their frontcourt with Moses Brown is not a bad idea at all. 

Whether or not they want to keep Poeltl long-term becomes the “million-dollar-question” for OKC, but overall, Jakob Poeltl would help them defensively and give them yet another young player to potentially build with or bargain with on the trade market. 

Now, let’s dive in and take a look at this trade from both teams perspectives to see if this is something that could develop into a possible deal this offseason.