Chicago Bulls offseason replacements for Lauri Markkanen: Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk could be the perfect candidate to replace Lauri Markkanen in the Chicago Bulls rotation if he is available at the right price. Determining that price tag right now is a bit difficult as Olynyk is currently balling out in an exaggerated role on the tanking Houston Rockets.
Still, it is well understood he won’t demand a crazy free-agent contract and that may put him in the range the Bulls could afford and know they are getting something more consistent and proven than Markkanen will give them. It would also not need to be the type of multi-year deal Markkanen would be expecting.
Realistically, Olynyk isn’t offering much more than Markkanen on defense or cleaning the glass, though slight upgrades in both areas are reasonable to expect. Where he would help the Bulls most is financially and by being a more consistent version of a very similar offensive player.
While similar offensively, Olynyk has proven much more capable and willing to get his offense going even if it is not through three-point shots. That has been an area of frustration for Markkanen all season as he continues to see himself make an impact from behind the arc or make no impact at all on a per-game basis.
At 30 years old, Olynyk could be brought in and be a foundational piece for the Bulls bench unit in the coming seasons. He has experience on teams that are bad, good and elite. That type of experience and knowledge would be a welcome addition to the team’s stable of veterans that already includes Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, who have yet to play for an elite NBA team.
Although Olynyk would be playing a much lesser role, obviously, it always helps to have players who have been there before and experienced locker rooms that have had significant success. Olynyk experienced exactly that as a member of the Miami Heat team that made an NBA Finals run during the bubble in Orlando, Florida.
It was on that run that he also showed he is a professional and could be relied on to not overreact to being in or out of the rotation given the team’s circumstances. The Heat relied on him significantly at times during that run as well as barely at all at other times. Olynyk never had an issue with that and demonstrated he is a professional in the locker room.
That can never be overlooked in the NBA. Especially for the Bulls who have young players like Coby White and Patrick Williams that are growing as players in the league.