The Chicago Bulls traded Lauri Markkanen to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 for a minimal return. It was a three-team deal that finally netted Chicago a first-round pick five years later. The Bulls get the 15th pick from the Portland Trail Blazers this year to finally salvage something from this disaster.
Markkanen was a key piece of the Jimmy Butler trade, but the seventh overall pick never fully blossomed in Chicago. The Bulls moved on after his rookie contract and watched Markkanen become an All-Star for the Jazz. It was part of a series of disastrous moves by Arturas Karnisovas, including the Josh Giddey trade. The lead executive was finally fired, and the Markkanen deal remains one of his worst.
The Bulls only got Derrick Jones Jr. from this trade before the Blazers pick conveyed. The 6’6 forward averaged 15.6 minutes per game over two seasons in Chicago. A disastrous return for a future All-Star that the Bulls can only hope to salvage with this draft pick.
Bulls finally get a 1st round draft pick from the Lauri Markkanen trade
Chicago didn’t want to pay Markkanen, despite him shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range in his fourth NBA season. The Bulls missed the playoffs all four years and were eager to add pieces around Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The 23-year-old former top draft pick somehow didn’t fit with whatever Karnisovas as trying to build.
Here is a look at the full trade as it stands now.
This is far from a blockbuster. Markkanen has averaged 23.7 points per game over the last four years and would have been a multiple-time All-Star if Utah wasn’t tanking. Even the 15th overall pick this year doesn’t make this a win for Chicago. This was another case of Karnisovas selling at the wrong time. It took the Bulls' ownership far too long to realize they kept repeating the same mistakes.
This trade alone was a fireable offense. The Bulls gave up on the sharpshooting forward they took seventh overall for a role player and a first-round draft pick five years later. All for the sake of creating room to add DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball. Fans know how that version of the Bulls panned out. It was another disaster, but AK still spent years building the roster in the Windy City.
The 2026 draft is loaded with talent, and the Bulls will have two chances at improving their roster. Chicago has their own lottery pick plus the 15th selection from the Blazers. They must hire a new front office first and use these selections to enhance their rebuild. The Bulls need time to get their roster in order after years of mediocrity. This should be the start of a long process to get back into serious contention.
The Chicago Bulls finally got a first-round draft pick from the Lauri Markkanen trade. It only took five years of patience. The Arturas Karnisovas era will forever be remembered as a series of disastrous trades, and this one is right up there. They finally moved on and are already seeing the benefits.
Now, it is on the next lead executive to nail this draft pick and rebuild the Bulls. That is easier said than done, but fans should hold out hope. It can’t be any worse than the last decade in Chicago.
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