The Chicago Bulls selected Lauri Markkanen seventh overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. They had the seventh pick as part of the return for sending Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While that trade wound up not working for the Timberwolves very well either, the Bulls didn’t maximize their return that night either. They got Zach LaVine, who is far and away the best player that was acquired in the entire deal besides Butler.
Kris Dunn was also moved to the Bulls in the deal, which did not work out for either side and he has since moved on to the Atlanta Hawks. That leaves the two players that were drafted that year left in the deal.
Minnesota selected Justin Patton with the pick they got while the Bulls selected Markkanen with the seventh overall pick. At the time it didn’t seem like a problematic selection and it was quite easy to get excited about.
Even after his rookie season that excitement either remained the same or increased. The following years wouldn’t go as great for the Bulls or Markkanen, though. That leads us to the upcoming off-season which is seemingly when Markkanen’s tenure with the Bulls will come to an inevitable end.
It’s the right time for everyone to move on and the only way for both parties to reach their potential in the coming seasons. The Bulls didn’t put Lauri in the right spots to become the best possible player he could become and now they simply don’t have the right roster to keep him around.
There is no doubt in my mind he could move on and become a very good player in the near future. Even if he doesn’t go all the way to all-star level production, he is a lock to be able to help the right team that knows how to use him and will properly do so.
Some fits make a ton of sense for Markkanen this off-season, and the Bulls are not one of them. It goes both ways, though, as the Bulls would be much better off spending the money he will demand on different areas of their roster.