With the Chicago Bulls now looking beyond this season, one of the players that could be let go this summer is the fourth-year power forward and seven-footer Lauri Markkanen. Although he came out of the gates hot during the 2020-21 regular season, Markkanen does look destined to find another destination this summer.
At a minimum, Markkanen is going to get starter-level money on his offer sheet in restricted free agency. That means that at a minimum Markkanen is going to be eligible for around $9 million on the annual salary for his next contract.
But there was almost no way that Markkanen was going to get less than eight figures in the annual salary for his next contract. If the Bulls were to re-sign Markkanen, it would also eat into a lot of the money they would need to use to fill needs this summer such as finding a point guard of the future, re-signing center Daniel Theis, and adding wing depth.
What has changed among potential landing spots for Chicago Bulls’ impending RFA Lauri Markkanen?
There is also the option that the Bulls have to find a sign-and-trade deal to get some level of value out of Markkanen before he does leave if they do let him walk this summer. Markkanen also has the skillset and physical tools that will make him a decently highly sought-after restricted free agent target for multiple other teams around the NBA landscape.
Heading into the weekend, yet another potential suitor for Markkanen emerged with the idea that he could be a target for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But are the Timberwolves really one of the best options out there for Markkanen this summer?
Here’s a look into three destinations that now look to offer some of the best situations for Markkanen out of restricted free agency in 2021.