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Chicago Bulls: Drafting Lauri Markkanen makes Nikola Mirotic expendable

By Dan Schmelzer

Nov 22, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) guards Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Bulls 110-107. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) guards Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Bulls 110-107. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that Lauri Markkanen is around, the Chicago Bulls do not have to make Nikola Mirotic a free agent priority.

Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Bulls are headed into a deep rebuild. After trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, the Bulls now have a roster filled with mix-match players and an aging star in Dwyane Wade.

The trade for Butler brought them wing Zach LaVine, point guard Kris Dunn and the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. With that seventh pick, the Bulls took Lauri Markkanen, a seven-footer who can shoot extremely well from the outside. I personally preferred Dennis Smith Jr. at number seven, but Markkanen was not a bad choice.

Markkanen is a competitive player who theoretically fits well in today’s NBA. He is a perfect stretch four he can fill it up from the outside. That being said, while Markkanen is extremely tall, he does not play up to his height. Markkanen is a soft rebounder and does not have any defensive presence at the rim. Plus, his lack of athleticism brings limited defensive versatility.

Markkanen undoubtedly has a ton of offensive upside, but he will need time to grow into a complete NBA player. However, with him on the roster, the Bulls do not have to make Nikola Mirotic a priority in free agency.

Mirotic scored 10.6 points and pulled in 5.5 rebounds for the Bulls last season. He was a solid overall player who really started to find his outside shot late in the year. Mirotic was a fantastic weapon for the Bulls down the stretch, opening up the court with his three-point shooting.

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That being said, he is far too inconsistent of an outside shooter to continue to count on that to happen. Mirotic has hit 35% from three-point range throughout his NBA career. Not bad but certainly not a guy who can single-handily spread the court.

The Bulls bringing back Mirotic would be fine. He is a guy who could help fill many big man minutes through this rebuild. However, having Markkanen on the roster makes Mirotic completely expendable. If he gets other strong offers, no sweat. The Bulls will be just fine without him.

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