CHICAGO — Lauri Markkanen’s time with the Chicago Bulls came to an end Friday.
The Bulls reportedly agreed to trade the Finnish forward to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade deal worth $67 million over four years. As part of a three-team move, the Bulls will acquire Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers and a 2023 second-round pick from the Cavs.
The Cavs are sending Larry Nance Jr. to the Trail Blazers, according to reports.
The move marks the end of Markkanen’s extended restricted free-agent saga and his Bulls tenure, more than four years after he was acquired as part of a draft-day deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Bulls hoped Markkanen, 24, would transform into one of the cornerstones of their rebuild, but instead they got an uneven four seasons out of him that ultimately were filled with more promise than production.
Markkanen, who was drafted at No. 7 in 2017, averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in four seasons, shooting 44% from the field and 36.6% on 3-pointers.
He showed promise as a rookie and into his second season, but his production stagnated in recent years — those career averages are nearly identical to the 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds (43% shooting, 36.2% from 3) he posted in his first season.
Injuries also hindered Markkanen’s progress — after playing in 68 games as a rookie, he never appeared in more than 52 games in the last three seasons.
Despite shooting a career-best 40.2% from 3 last season, Markkanen went from starter to reserve during the second half once the team acquired Nikola Vučević. If Markkanen was an awkward fit next to Vučević, he only became more ill-fitting once the Bulls revamped their roster this summer.
Plus, Markkanen made it clear toward the end of the season that he believed he could still be a starter in the NBA, and there was almost certainly no path to that role in Chicago. The Bulls already will be facing an uphill battle defensively with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Vučević together in the starting lineup, and Markkanen has struggled on that end of the floor.
And after comments to a Finnish journalist earlier this month that he “wants a fresh start” rather than return to the Bulls, the writing appeared to be on the wall for the end of Markkanen’s tenure in Chicago.
The Bulls now have only two players — LaVine and Coby White — remaining on the roster from the team vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas inherited in April 2020.
Rather than allow Markkanen to walk for nothing, the Bulls were able to recoup some of his value.
They added Jones Jr., a former dunk contest champion who has averaged 6.8 points on 50.4% shooting in his five seasons, and a pair of draft picks for a player they were ready to move on from. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Portland’s first-round pick is lottery protected through 2028, when it would become a second-round pick if not conveyed.
Jones is known for his athleticism and versatile defense on the wing and gives the Bulls depth.
They still have a few roster spots to fill before the start of training camp next month and could use some depth among their bigs, especially at power forward.
