Chicago Bulls Rumors: Lauri Markkanen wants out of Chicago

When the Chicago Bulls first drafted forward Lauri Markkanen, the thought was that he would become the ideal stretch four in today’s NBA.

After his first year and going into his second year, Markkanen looked as though he was taking a big leap. Markkanen put on a bunch of muscle in effort to become a more physical scorer and rebounder, and he looked the part as a sophomore.

He put up career-high numbers in his second year, averaging 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. However, when Jim Boylen took over as head coach, that’s when things began unraveling. He was essentially forced outside and told to play as a perimeter guy.

His game suffered, and Markkanen began looking like a different player because of Boylen’s ineptitude. Now, Markkanen may be on the way out as a restricted free agent, and ready for a fresh start with a new team.

Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen has apparently told Finnish media that he wants out.

Friday morning, this report came out about Markkanen telling Finnish media that he would like a fresh start.

Markkanen wants out of Chicago.

"“We have offers from several different teams. I want a fresh start to my NBA career somewhere else. Hopefully things will be sorted out quickly with the Bulls.” (via YLE)"

Prior to this report, it was thought that Markkanen could end up staying in Chicago for one more season. There was only one known, interested team in Markkanen’s services. That team was the Charlotte Hornets.

However, when the Hornets decided to sign free agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr. on Thursday night, they seemingly left the running for Markkanen. Now, the only option for Charlotte would be to acquire Markkanen via sign-and-trade.

Speaking of sign-and-trade, that is still an option for the Bulls if there are indeed “several” teams interested in Markkanen as reported. If there are multiple teams interested in Markkanen, a sign-and-trade could end up being the best route to go for Chicago.

Thus far during free agency, the Bulls have executed a handful of sign-and-trades. Lonzo Ball came to Chicago via sign-and-trade, as did DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls also dealt forward Daniel Theis to the Houston Rockets and in turn received a trade exception.

Interested teams could still include franchises like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, as first rumored before the start of free agency. The Spurs, above the others, were thought to be a real favorite to land Markkanen as they were interested even before the season ended.

One thing is clear: Markkanen wants out and the Bulls will need to find a backup forward to replace him. They could end up depending on first-year pro Marko Simonovic who is coming over this year, but signing another veteran to help ease Simonovic into the NBA would be a wise move. As things continue to develop with Markkanen, we’ll provide the latest.