We are almost two weeks into NBA free agency and Lauri Markkanen remains unsigned. This is incredible, considering that every well-known free agent has signed with a team by now. Markkanen has claimed he has several offers on the table but considering he hasn’t signed yet, they must not be too appealing. Two years ago, Markkanen was a rising star in the NBA. Now the Chicago Bulls have given up on him. So what happened to Lauri Markkanen’s career? This is his story to date.
Lauri Markkanen Remains Unsigned
Rise to Promise
Markkanen was drafted seventh overall out of Arizona in the 2017 NBA draft by Chicago. The Bulls acquired this pick in the infamous trade that sent Zach LaVine to Chicago and Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. Markkanen was expected to start the season on the bench but wound up starting at the beginning of the season due to a fight between teammates.
Starting power forward Nikola Mirotic got punched in the face at practice by another power forward in Bobby Portis, sending him to the hospital with two broken bones in his face and a concussion. Portis would be suspended eight games and Mirotic would miss several weeks. Markkanen took advantage of his starting role and would keep it throughout the season, averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 29.7 minutes. In his sophomore season, he improved considerably, averaging 18.7 points and 9 rebounds in 32.3 minutes.
Decline
In the 2019-20 season, Markkanen’s production declined under head coach Jim Boylen. He averaged 14.7 and 6.3 rebounds in 29.8 minutes. Many believed that Boylen was not utilizing the Bulls’ main players effectively enough. When Boylen was fired after the season for Billy Donovan, a bounce-back season looked promising for Markkanen. Markkanen would wind up playing inconsistently this past season, missing games, and when he did play, alternating good and bad performances. When the Bulls traded for Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline, Markkanen moved to the bench. He finished this past season with career-high shooting percentages (48% FG, 40.2% 3PT) but career-low statistics (13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds).
Free Agency
Markkanen is now a restricted free agent. Any offer that Markkanen signs the Bulls can match. However, considering the Bulls spending spree (signed Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso), it is unlikely he returns to Chicago. Markkanens stock has fallen drastically over the past two seasons. His defense isn’t good (0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game) and his playmaking is non-existent (1.2 assists per game). Even his once solid rebounding (8.3 rebounds per game in his first two seasons) has fallen (5.8 rebounds in the previous two seasons). At this point in his career, he is nothing more than a spot-up shooter from three. So can Markkanen still revive his career? To some extent he can. But it depends on the team and the role he has with said team.
One team that had shown some interest in him is the Charlotte Hornets. However, after recently signing Kelly Oubre to a contract, signing Markkanen appears unlikely unless he is willing to take an even larger pay cut. An ideal situation for Markkanen would be the San Antonio Spurs. If there is anyone that knows how to develop players and specifically forwards, it’s Gregg Popovich. The Spurs are rebuilding and they don’t exactly have a number one option on the team after DeRozan left in free agency. Markkanen needs to start thinking less about money at this point and more about reviving his image across the league. A one-year prove-it deal is not out of the question.
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