Chicago Bulls offseason replacements for Lauri Markkanen: Zach Collins
Like Lauri Markkanen, Zach Collins is a player who could be a bargain for his new team moving forward. Collins is dealing with an injury that may prevent him from playing a single game this season, though he could return for the playoffs for the Portland Trailblazers.
Regardless, this injury is not the first in Collins young NBA career and that may play a role in the type of deal he is able to secure in restricted free agency. It also opens up the possibility that the Trailblazers don’t extend him a qualifying offer.
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If that is the case, the Bulls might want to swoop in and see what the forward has. He was selected a few picks after Markkanen in the 2018 NBA Draft and if the price tag is significantly cheaper it is understandable why the Bulls would want to swap Markkanen out for Collins.
Collins has had limited production in his NBA career, which is understandable for a player who has played in just 154 career games so far. Still, the things that made him a lottery pick originally have not gone away and he could certainly be a better fit for the Bulls than Markkanen is.
The reason for that is because he is a much better rebounder and defender. That is an area of need for the Bulls and improving defense in the frontcourt would be a big step in building this team into a contender.
He is nowhere near the lights-out shooter that Lauri can be at times, but that sacrifice is worth it for Arturas Karnisovas and his staff. It is not like he is terrible as a shooter, he has shot 32.4 percent from three in his NBA career.
A slight increase in that number would all of a sudden make him a major asset to the Bulls compared to Markkanen. Granted this is assuming health, which is a big assumption at this point. He would only be a reasonable target for the Bulls on a one-year type prove-it deal that still leaves them with significant cap space to fill other major holes on their roster.