After a drop-off last season, there had to be some hope the Chicago Bulls’ change to Billy Donovan as coach would get Lauri Markkanen back on track. But it was not to be. The fourth-year averaged a career-low 13.6 points, a career-low 5.3 rebounds and less than one assist (0.9) per game in 51 games. By the end of the season, after the acquisitions of Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis, Markkanen was parked in a reserve role.
Markkanen has been clear he sees himself as a starter. The Bulls clearly don’t value him that way. He’s also a restricted free agent this offseason, with a qualifying offer that will be worth around $9 million. The Bulls can levy that qualifying offer, and give themselves the right to match any offer sheet Markkanen gets elsewhere. Whether it makes sense for them to do so is a separate conversation.
KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported Markkanen will test the free agency waters regardless of whether the Bulls extend the qualifying offer.
My thing is I think I’ve always been a team-first guy. And I think now it’s time to look at the business side of the game,” Markkanen said. “I feel like I’m only 23 years old and I have a lot of basketball ahead of me. It’s a good opportunity to look what’s out there for me. I can be a focal point. I think I have a lot more to offer.”
Going further, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Markkanen has a preferred landing spot.
The one place he privately wants to land is with the Mavericks, joining guard Luka Doncic and big man Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavericks will have serious cap room this offseason and were in the middle of the pack in three-point shooting, but Markkanen and Porzingis might be too similar in terms of their skills for that to happen.
Cowley also mentioned the Knicks, who’ll have the most cap space in the league and could use a shooter like Markkanen.
Cap room won’t really be an issue for the Mavericks either. They were a mid-pack 3-point percentage team during the regular season this year, so they could use a shooter too. The issue there would be Markkanen’s fit alongside Kristaps Porzingis. If Porzingis hadn’t showed erosion on the defensive end this year, it might be different. But the fit looks strained for Markkanen in Dallas. That said, a sign-and-trade is an avenue that could land Markkanen with the Mavericks.
Markkanen shot a career-best 40.2 percent from beyond the arc this year. The value of shooting around the league assures there’ll be interest in him. Bulls VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has said the right things thus far, but the trend is clear. Markkanen will be in another uniform next season. Even if it’s not a Mavericks’ uniform, like he’d apparently prefer.
