This coming offseason could be a trying time for the Chicago Bulls‘ new front office regime as they try to find the next direction for this team. First-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley did make some moves to improve the roster in the last year, but more definitely still needs to be done. Maybe some of the latest Bulls rumors could wind up playing out for this team in the end.
One player that is set to hit the restricted free agent market for the Bulls this offseason is the fourth-year power forward and 24-year-old seven-footer Lauri Markkanen. And with the possibility of a number of suitors going after Lauri this offseason, Karnisovas and the Bulls might have some bargaining power to see where he lands next.
There seemed to be at least a decent possibility that the Bulls bring back Markkanen beyond the summer when the 2020-21 regular season began. But since first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls moved Markkanen to the bench post-All-Star Break, his game hasn’t looked great. Even prior to the All-Star Break, Markkanen was dealing with an upper-body injury that held him out for nearly a month.
What’s next for Bulls rumors concerning Lauri Markkanen?
A recent rumor that the San Antonio Spurs and legendary head coach Gregg Popovich could be interested in landing Markkanen this offseason could make for an interesting emerging situation. Maybe the Spurs will just be able to get the offer sheet of Markkanen over to their side of the table this offseason.
But maybe there’s a chance for the Bulls to get a sign-and-trade deal done that benefits all parties involved. With that in mind, here’s a look at three potential sign-and-trade deals involving the Bulls, Spurs, and Markkanen come next offseason.
Acting on the Bulls rumors involving Lauri Markkanen
If the Bulls are going to send off Markkanen, then it might have to be involving a third team along with the Spurs. In this particular trade deal, the Bulls ship off the likes of point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and Markkanen to the Spurs for a return of athletic guard Lonnie Walker. The Golden State Warriors also get involved in the deal to get things finalized.
What head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors get out of the deal is a future second round draft pick from the Bulls and forward Al-Farouq Aminu. There is one year left on the current contract of Aminu. And the Bulls have only played Aminu in one game since the trade deadline when they landed him and star big man Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic.
What the Bulls get back from the Warriors is the fifth-year big man and former UCLA Bruins power forward Kevon Looney.
The Spurs might be able to get more out of the likes of Markkanen and Arcidiacono than Donovan and the Bulls have this season. Markkanen never really found consistent traction with the Bulls under the current head coach Donovan or former head coach Jim Boylen. Maybe the Spurs could make better use of him too.
Meanwhile, the Bulls get to bolster the frontcourt rotation depth in Looney and add some athleticism and depth to the backcourt rotation in Walker. It could be a good move for all parties involved in the end.
Acting on the Bulls rumors involving Lauri Markkanen
This is another potential trade idea for the Bulls that could play out with Aminu landing elsewhere, that might be able to utilize his game more often than the Bulls have this season. And this particular trade deal sees the Bulls send off a future second round draft pick along with Markkanen in a sign-and-trade and Aminu to the Spurs.
In return the Bulls get big men Drew Eubanks and Jakob Poeltl from the Spurs. The Spurs might not want to part ways with Poeltl so easily, but making a sign-and-trade deal happen with the Bulls for Markkanen might not be able to happen without getting a third team involved otherwise. Both Eubanks and Poeltl were solid for the Spurs this season.
In 54 games played for the Spurs this season, Poeltl averaged 8.2 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks. And he shot 62.3 percent from the field and just 41.9 percent from the free-throw line.
There are not many dynamic parts to Poeltl’s game at this point in time, but he has turned into one of the most efficient rim protectors in the NBA. If the former Boston Celtics big man Daniel Theis doesn’t want to return for Donovan and the Bulls beyond this offseason, then trying to nab a player like Poeltl and/or Eubanks could help out a lot.
Acting on the Bulls rumors involving Lauri Markkanen
This deal would obviously be a much more significant move for Karnisovas and the Bulls to keep building up the roster to win now. If the Bulls do want to do their best to keep the likes of Vooch and star shooting guard Zach LaVine around for the long haul and build around a core with that duo, then they could go after someone like the Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum.
With the combination of LaVine and McCollum running in the starting five for the Bulls hypothetically, they would likely have to move the former of those two players to the wing. And that would still leave the Bulls with the need to add a true point guard to the starting five.
That is due to the fact that in this particular trade deal they part ways with both second-year point guard Coby White and combo guard Tomas Satoransky. Donovan flip-flopped between running White and Sato as the starting point guard in his top unit so far this season, to varying degrees of success.
Running McCollum and Lavine in the starting five, potentially with a point guard like current New Orleans Pelican Lonzo Ball or Brooklyn Net Spencer Dinwiddie, then the Bulls could have a starting unit truly ready to win now in the Eastern Conference.
Also in this trade deal, veteran forward Thaddeus Young and Spurs rookie shooting guard Devin Vassell land with the Trail Blazers to match salaries. What the Spurs wind up getting is the second-year former North Carolina Tar Heels wing Nassir Little, Markkanen, and Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.