Chicago Bulls Receive: F Taurean Prince, MIN 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: F Lauri Markkanen (via sign-and-trade)
Taurean Prince was a guy the Timberwolves got from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade involving Ricky Rubio this past week, but he is not a long-term piece for them. For the right trade, the T-Wolves would be more than willing to move Prince and if they had the chance to acquire Lauri Markkanen, they would be smart to move him to Chicago.
According to Darren Wolfson of SKOR North, the Timberwolves have been in contact with Markkanen and do have interest in the 24-year-old forward. In four years with the Bulls, Lauri Markkanen has averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and has shot 36.6% from three-point range, making him a key target for the Timberwolves to upgrade their frontcourt.
The best part about adding him from Minnesota’s point of view is the fact that they would have two 7-footers in their starting lineup that can not only aid in rebounding efforts on both ends of the court, but that can knock down multiple shots from the perimeter.
Not many teams have big guys who can stretch the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter and if they were able to pull off this deal, Minnesota would have two of these guys! As for Chicago, getting Taurean Prince to be a role player at the forward position could definitely be of value to them, but they could also look to leverage him.
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Prince is owed $13M in the final year of his contract and is definitely a player that fits the salary range in a trade to bring in another key contributor. If they do end up keeping him though, Prince is a tough-minded defender who could make the Bulls better on that side of the floor. He’s been mentioned often as a trade chip in rumors after being acquired this NBA offseason.
Lauri Markkanen remains one of the better unsigned free agents on the market and it seems likely that the Chicago Bulls would look to salvage some value if they are to lose him, hence why a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves seems plausible.
