Chicago Bulls: 3 players that should be first to go if the core is blown up

2) Who’s first to go if Chicago Bulls blow it up

Lauri Markkanen, Power Forward

The way that the fourth-year seven-footer and 23-year-old power forward Lauri Markkanen played in the last few games, including the Bulls preseason slate, does inspire confidence about where his game is headed this season. Markkanen is currently in the final year of his rookie contract, and didn’t get an extension done with the front office entering this regular season.

Just because Karnisovas and Markkanen didn’t reach an agreement in contract extension talks earlier this month, it doesn’t mean that the former Arizona Wildcat won’t be back for the Bulls for the 2021-22 season. But the Bulls will have to extend Markkanen a qualifying offer entering next offseason to prevent him from hitting the open market. He will be a restricted free agent.

Maybe all it will take is a scheme shift and a few new voices within the organization, and specifically in the locker room, for Markkanen to have a big bounce back season. He likely had his worst season in his NBA career to date last season, which came at a bad time considering the contract extension talks over the offseason.

All in all, fans should have hope for where Markkanen’s game is headed this season. In the regular season opener loss to the Hawks back on Dec. 23, Markkanen was likely the most efficient player in the Bulls starting five. He registered 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, no blocks, and two turnovers. Markkanen shot an efficient 6-of-9 from the field, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.

But if there’s not a future that the front office sees for Markkanen with the team beyond this season, they should sell high on him while they can still get something back for him.