Questions remained for the Chicago Bulls entering the 2020-21 regular season slate as to what they would do with the fourth-year seven-footer and 23-year-old power forward Lauri Markkanen. First-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley had a determination to make last offseason as to whether to hand Markkanen a contract extension.
The aforementioned contract extension was not signed between the Bulls and Markkanen heading into this regular season slate, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come back for next season. What we do know is that the Bulls new front office regime won’t want to let Markkanen walk by the time next offseason arrives for nothing in return.
Markkanen has a skill set that fits the mould of a valuable modern big man in the NBA. He’s a seven-footer that can handle the ball, create his own shot, hit open looks from downtown, and has the size and potential to become a decent defender down low.
And Markkanen is off to a solid start this season. He’s started in all seven games he’s played in for the Bulls so far this season, averaging just south of 30 minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 18.9 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Markkanen shot 47.2 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line.
All of that has amounted to a career-best 0.5 box plus/minus rating, .124 win shares per 48 minutes, 0.5 total win shares, 63.8 true shooting percentage, and a 18.2 player efficiency rating.
If Karnisovas and the Bulls do decide to cash in on the value that Markkanen can bring to the table, what could they get for him in return ahead of the deadline?