Chicago Bulls: 3 players who could get a second chance under Karnisovas

1. Lauri Markkanen, Power Forward

We have no idea how the new Bulls front office regime is leaning in terms of the contract situation for third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen for the impending offseason. Markkanen could receive a contract extension this coming offseason, as next year will be the final of his rookie contract.

At one point it looked as if Markkanen was a possible candidate to get a max contract extension. But that is far off target for where the discussion should at in terms of dollar amount given his lacking production this season. He fell well short of expectations thus far in his third year in the league.

With how much success Karnisovas had in piecing together the Nuggets young core of superstar big man Nikola Jokic and former Kentucky Wildcats combo guard Jamal Murray, building this core back up of Markkanen and shooting guard Zach LaVine could make sense. But this is all going to be up to how Karnisovas and Eversley want to build up this starting five.

What doesn’t make sense is having Markkanen come off the bench if he’s going to request a higher dollar amount on his next contract. It also doesn’t make sense to keep him coming off the bench while his trade value is still relatively high around the NBA. Either keep building around him or let him try and rejuvenate his career elsewhere while the Bulls can still get something solid in a return package.