Chicago Bulls: 3 players to target for a Lauri Markkanen trade

2) Players to target in a Markkanen trade: Myles Turner, Center

Two of the lone remaining teams with head coach openings in the Central Division at this point are the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers. But each of these franchises sit at very different spots during the 2020 offseason. The Pacers do have a talented roster with “win now” types of players in the rotation. But they were still ousted in the first round of the playoffs in a sweep at the hands of the Miami Heat.

With the Bulls and Pacers both largely reshaping the look of their organizations in the current offseason, is there a trade that could be placed between the two parties?

There are a few pieces that the Pacers might be able to part ways with that the Bulls could be intrigued by. If the Pacers are willing to move someone like former Indiana Hoosiers guard Victor Oladipo or ex-Texas Longhorns center Myles Turner, then it is worth the Bulls at least hearing out the Pacers.

The latter of those two players would make more sense for the Bulls to look into if they were to part ways with Markkanen. Turner is a really good player, but he’s in a role in Indy where he could be overshadowed by first-time All-Star selection and power forward Domantas Sabonis over the long haul.

In the season that was for the Pacers, Turner played in 62 games (starting in all of them). He averaged 12.1 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.1 blocks. Turner shot 45.7 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.1 percent from the free-throw line. This would be the true floor spacing big man that can protect the rim that the Bulls have looked for throughout the three year course of the rebuild up to this point.