Lauri Markkanen, PF
About the most hotly discussed Bulls player heading into the offseason is the former lottery pick and fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. With the seven-footer and former Arizona Wildcat Markkanen set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, he could have a number of suitors after him. And that could lead to opportunities for the Bulls to execute on a sign-and-trade deal.
The length, versatility, and floor spacing ability of Markkanen still makes him a highly sought-after commodity in the modern NBA. There’s going to be some team out there that really buys into what he brings to the table. It just doesn’t look like he is the best fit with first-year head coach Billy Donovan along with the team’s star duo of LaVine and Vooch.
The writing on the wall is there for the lottery picks from the GarPax regime. Karnisovas and Eversley shipped off the likes of third-year center Wendell Carter Jr., second-year center Daniel Gafford, and former Vanderbilt Commodores big man Luke Kornet at the trade deadline. Markkanen could very well be next.
It was a known fact for a good while now that the Bulls’ new front office regime didn’t have significant long-term plans for Markkanen. They had a chance last offseason to sign him to a contract extension and elected not to. He also swirled in trade rumors ahead of the deadline back in March.
Just like with Sato, Markkanen’s shooting percentages and advanced metrics are down almost across the board post-All-Star Break. But the even more concerning aspect for Markkanen is that his counting stats are down too.