Why Chicago Bulls could bring back Lauri Markkanen: Trade prospects
That aforementioned destination would be Dallas, where Lauri has made clear his desire to join rising superstar Luka Doncic and fellow sharpshooting big man Kristaps Porzingis on the Mavericks. Fortunately for Chicago, Dallas is one of the small handful of teams that have also expressed mutual interest in Markkanen.
Since trade talks have stalled this summer, it likely boils down to either one of two issues, or perhaps both. Either the Mavericks do not wish to expend a first-round draft pick for Markkanen, or they are afraid of committing to a long-term deal until he proves he can maintain — and ideally improve upon — his past performance of his sophomore season in the NBA.
If Markkanen plays well in 2021-22 and the Mavericks are not averse to trading draft picks, Arturas Karnisovas probably takes one and runs. After sending out so much draft capital to secure DeRozan and Vucevic, it’ll be important to recoup any potential prospects and picks possible. If Dallas still does not wish to trade picks, however, I believe a good deal can still get done for both sides.
A strong season from Lauri Markkanen means more wins for the Bulls and a better chance that he winds up in his preferred destination after all.
The Dallas Mavericks have a multitude of players they could exchange directly in a one-for-one swap to get Markkanen. Dwight Powell is owed $22 million over the next two years, and would surely garner Chicago some draft picks and assets if they were willing to take on his extra money while giving Dallas the better player.
Maxi Kleber could also make for an enticing trade of big men if the Mavericks were looking to get younger and fit Doncic’s perceived window of contention. There’s also Reggie Bullock, who could salary match Markkanen directly after having a strong season with the Knicks, but I believe Dallas would wish to keep him in this scenario.
This leads me to my preferred trade scenario with Dallas, where the Bulls convert Markkanen into a skilled perimeter defender and promising young talent.
Dorian Finney-Smith is a very solid 3-and-D player, shooting 39.4 percent from deep and playing excellent perimeter defense for Dallas. Moses Brown has seemingly bounced all over the league as of late but is performed very well to end the season with Oklahoma City averaging 9.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game from March to May.
Dallas would likely be willing to make this move considering Bullock could easily replace Finney-Smith in the starting lineup while they’d now be able to slide Porzingis over to center. This transition would only serve to further push Brown out of the lineup, and they acquired him for next to nothing in the first place.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls would enjoy their bolstered depth following this move. Finney-Smith and Brown would bring an intensity and toughness to the fold, a key trait that Markkanen severely lacks. Best of all, Finney-Smith and Brown wouldn’t hurt the books moving forward. Finney-Smith is owed an expiring $4 million next season, while Brown would be un-guaranteed and owed less than $2 million for each of the next three seasons.
All of this is to say there’s plenty of interesting options to explore should the Chicago Bulls decide to keep Markkanen around for one last ride, whether he actually ends up in Dallas or not. After what we’ve witnessed this summer I have no doubts about Karnisovas’ ability to pull of crafty trades.
Beyond that, I still believe Markkanen is a very talented player who hasn’t found the right situation yet in his career. But if he can win the Bulls a few more games this season, I’m all for seeing him in the red and white again.