2. Lauri Markkanen, Power Forward
The most pressing situation that the Bulls front office will find themselves dealing with this coming offseason involves third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. This former Arizona Wildcats seven-footer was expected to take a big leap forward this season, but did nothing of the sort so far.
If this 2019-20 season is in fact over for the Bulls due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, then Markkanen will have a tough situation that he faces with the team heading into the offseason. Next season will be the final year of his rookie contract, so he is eligible for an extension this offseason.
Any previous discussion of an impending max contact extension, or anything of the sort, for Markkanen is now out the window. A possibility for the Bulls will be keeping Markkanen on his rookie contract next year and testing the waters on his value from then on out. That is unless he’s willing to take a bargain contract this coming offseason.
In 50 games played this season, Markkanen averaged 14.7 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks, while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Karnisovas needs to figure out how much he can prioritize the development of Markkanen after he took a step back this season.