As the 2025 EuroBasket tournament gets underway, all eyes are on the top NBA talent spanning across 24 countries, representing their national pride. Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Luka Dončić of Slovenia, and Nikola Jokić of Serbia are just a few of the NBA's premier athletes taking part in this year's tournament.
For Bulls fans, however, it’s a painful reminder of what is, and what could have been.
Among the headliners this year is Finland’s Lauri Markkanen, a player Chicago fans know all too well. A player the Bulls’ front office gave up on far too soon.
For years now, fans have watched Markkanen blossom into NBA stardom. But this summer, with him dominating on the global stage, additional salt in the wound has been thrown.
The Bulls lost a franchise cornerstone in Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen was drafted by Chicago with the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, arriving via a three-team trade that sent franchise favorite Jimmy Butler to Minnesota in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the 7th pick. Expectations were through the roof from the start, with draft experts comparing him to fellow European bigs Dirk Nowitzki and Kristaps Porziņģis.
His rookie year made those comparisons look legitimate, averaging over 15 points and seven rebounds per game at just 20 years old.
He was almost too good to be true. And in some ways, he was.
Following the Butler trade, the Bulls spiraled into one of the darkest stretches in franchise history. During Markkanen’s four years in Chicago, the team posted a miserable 102–199 record, went through three different head coaches, and suffered an ongoing identity crisis. Despite averaging 15.6 points per game as a Bull, Markkanen was limited to a spot-up shooting role under Jim Boylen, never being allowed to fully showcase his offensive potential.
The front office grew frustrated with his supposed “lack of confidence” and ultimately shipped him to Cleveland for Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected pick from Portland. A pick that, four years later, still hasn’t conveyed to the Bulls.
The breakout the Bulls didn't wait for
Markkanen’s lone season in Cleveland was solid, but it was in Utah where he truly broke out. After the Jazz traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022, the team handed Markkanen the keys to the franchise.
He responded with a monster season: 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and over 39 percent shooting from three on nearly eight attempts per game. The breakout earned him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in a landslide, as well as his first All-Star selection.
The Jazz allowed him to put the ball on the floor, attack the rim, and operate in space. With that freedom, Markkanen became the star Chicago once envisioned.
EuroBasket 2025 as the nail in the coffin
If Markkanen’s rapid ascension in the NBA wasn’t already a painful statement to Bulls fans, his play at EuroBasket 2025 is the exclamation point.
In Finland’s opening group-stage win over Sweden, Markkanen dropped 28 points, six rebounds, and three assists while being double-teamed for seemingly the entire game. He dominated defenders in the paint, buried two threes, and looked pretty untouchable from start to finish.
It was the kind of performance that makes Chicago fans think to themselves, “We had him, and let him go for Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected pick.”
All Bulls fans can do is watch
For Bulls fans, it’s hard not to think about what could have been. The 7-footer currently dominating EuroBasket once called Chicago home. And they let him go for Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected pick, neither of which is currently in the Bulls' possession.
Markkanen’s rise outside of Chicago is yet another example of the Bulls’ inability to properly develop and retain talent. Development is not a straight line. Some players take longer than others to hit their full potential. The Bulls had a 23-year-old future All-Star in their building, but didn't have the resources to use him to the best of his abilities.
It wasn’t Markkanen’s lack of confidence that forced him out of Chicago, it was the franchise’s failure to put him in a position to succeed.
If there’s any lesson the Bulls can take from this massive failure, it’s to be patient with young talent and invest in their growth. Their best hope now is not to repeat history with the player most similar to Markkanen on today’s roster, Matas Buzelis.