Dallas Mavericks Receive: F Lauri Markkanen, CHI 2022 2nd Round Pick
Chicago Bulls Receive: G Jalen Brunson, G Tyrell Terry
If the Mavericks are going to sign Lauri Markkanen, they have to be prepared to offer him a lot of money, which is why a sign-and-trade could be in order. Dallas will have nearly $20M in cap space when free agency begins in the offseason, but Markkanen could ask for a contract well over $15M/year.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 3 teams who will show interest in signing Lauri Markkanen in free agency
Chicago will want to salvage some value from trading away Markkaken, a young piece of their core, which is why getting Jalen Brunson back in return makes a lot of sense for them. Brunson played his high school basketball about an hour north of Chicago in Lincolnshire, Illinois and playing for the Bulls would be a great opportunity for him to continue expanding on his young career.
Tyrell Terry is also a solid young player to get back in return in this trade for the Bulls. He did not play much at all this season with Dallas and spent a vast majority of his time in the G-League, but he definitely has the talent to be a key backup guard in the league given opportunities to learn and grow.
READ MORE: NBA Trade Rumors: Lauri Markkanen privately prefers landing with the Mavericks
Chicago has plenty of room open in their backcourt, which is why getting Brunson and Terry is definitely something that should peak their interest. For the Mavericks, giving up Jalen Brunson would definitely hurt their backcourt depth, but he is going to be entering the final year of his contract next season and they will not have the flexibility to re-sign him given the spending they will do this offseason and Luka Doncic set to get a mega contract-extension.
Adding Lauri Markkanen gives the Dallas Mavericks that third, key talent they need on the offensive-end of the court to be competitive in the Western Conference and potentially grow into a championship contender. The only question that remains is if this is the right move for them to make in the offseason with the limited amount of high-talent that is available?
