CHICAGO — It has been about three weeks since the Chicago Bulls grabbed headlines with a flurry of moves in free agency to revamp their starting lineup. The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas wrapped up a week ago. Training camps begin in about a month.
Yet the Bulls have one major piece of unresolved business remaining in restricted free agency limbo: the future of forward Lauri Markkanen.
Although the dust has mostly settled around the league in terms of player movement and salary-cap space, Markkanen still finds himself without a home. The Bulls extended a one-year, $9 million qualifying offer to Markkanen at the start of the summer, which gave them the right to match any contract he received from another team.
It seemed unlikely then that Markkanen would have this much trouble finding a landing spot for next season.
After all, he is only 24, he’s 7 feet tall and he shot 40.2% from 3-point range last season. The former lottery pick has averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in four years with the Bulls, mixing flashes of promise with frustrating inconsistency. His production four years into his career has stagnated, with his points (13.6), rebounds (5.3) and minutes (25.8) all hitting career-low averages last season.
By the end of the season, it was clear Markkanen was an ill fit for the Bulls given his limitations playing next to Nikola Vučević in the frontcourt. When they moved him into a reserve role in the second half of the season, he made it clear he still viewed himself as an NBA starter.
Perhaps he also overvalued himself on the free-agent market.
Either way, Markkanen’s options for next season are limited.
Staying with the Bulls is still technically on the table. Even though Markkanen is an awkward fit with the roster they have assembled, especially given his defensive limitations, getting a player of his skill level at the qualifying offer would be a steal. The Bulls are short on depth overall and a bit thin in the frontcourt, so Markkanen would offer a boost in those areas.
However, Markkanen has made it clear he would like to play elsewhere next season. He told a Finnish journalist he “wants a fresh start” rather than return to the Bulls.
The Bulls seem willing to part with Markkanen, but in order to sign with another team without cap space, he needs to find a willing sign-and-trade partner. And the Bulls are playing hardball, reportedly asking for a first-round pick in return while also remaining uninterested in taking on a long-term contract to cement the deal.
So far, no team has been willing to meet the Bulls’ asking price.
So much of the Bulls offseason happened in a hurry during the opening days, hours and minutes of free agency. Yet Markkanen’s uncertain future continues to linger.
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