3 Trade Targets for Bulls to Consider Before Rumor Mill Picks Up

It's early, but the Chicago Bulls are teetering on the brink of disaster.

Entering Monday night, they've dropped six of their last seven games. The 6-10 mark this stretch has saddled them with has pushed them down to 12th in the Eastern Conference.

The good news is the 2022-23 NBA season has plenty of time left, so the opportunity to right the ship is real. Then again, the Bulls are showing some flaws that may not have an internal solution, so it's possible the front office may need to act to salvage this season.

Should the Bulls brass look to the trade market to turn things around, the following three players should surface on their radar sooner than later.

Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns

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DALLAS, TX - MAY 12: Jae Crowder #99 of the Phoenix Suns. looks on during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals on May 12, 2022 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jae Crowder has the size to bang with bigger forwards and enough quickness to keep in front of the speedier ones. His three-ball isn't the surest around (career 34.6 percent), but it seems like it's there when he needs it. He's played in a pair of conference finals, an NBA Finals and 107 playoff games overall.

For a Bulls team that isn't sure what Patrick Williams can be or whether they can squeeze enough offense out of Javonte Green, they almost certainly must be paying close attention to Crowder's situation in Phoenix.

Both he and the Suns are ready for a fresh start apart from one another, but his trade market is tricky. Win-now shoppers have plenty of interest, but they don't have the win-now pieces to send back to Phoenix. Chicago, however, could have a workaround by sending a long-term asset like Coby White to a rebuilder, who then sends a win-now piece or two back to the Suns.

The Bulls haven't had enough consistency or two-way play on the wings. Crowder could provide both, and his experience should allow for a swift, smooth transition.

Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs

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SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Jakob Poeltl #25 of the San Antonio Spurs rebounds the ball during the game against the Sacramento Kings on November 17, 2022 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

You could argue that the Bulls have a more talented center than Jakob Poeltl in Nikola Vučević. It wouldn't be an open-and-shut case, but you could argue it.

Of course, that doesn't mean it would matter.

Fit factors into it, and that's where Poeltl, who had Chicago's attention at the 2022 trade deadline, could become the preferred choice in the middle.

Vučević is a much better shooter and scorer in general. When he's a distant third fiddle behind DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, though, the Bulls are rarely positioned to receive what Vučević does best. Poeltl, on the other hand, would offer a seamless fit as an impact paint protector, rebounder, screen-setter and point-blank finisher.

Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

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CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 26: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on October 26, 2022 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

If the Bulls want to bulk up their interior defense without sacrificing offensive spacing, Myles Turner might offer the best of both worlds.

He's the best shot-blocker in the business. If that reads at all hyperbolic, the numbers back it up. He has twice led the league in blocks, and for the second consecutive season, he would be officially recognized as the category's leader if he played enough games to qualify.

On offense, he's an all-purpose pick-and-choose partner for a perimeter playmaker. He can pop out and splash threes. He can roll all the way to the basket. He even has some in-between touch if defenses manage to deny both the three-ball and the rim.

Brokering a trade for Turner could be tricky, since the presumably future-focused Pacers could have little interest in Vučević. Then again, it isn't impossible to imagine someone would want a center as offensively skilled as Vučević, be that the Pacers themselves or a third team.