Chicago Bulls News: Lauri Markkanen trade was an act of pure savagery

All that was left for the Chicago Bulls this offseason was to figure out how and when to trade forward Lauri Markkanen, who had been longing for a fresh start elsewhere.

Finally, that chapter came to a close on Friday when the Bulls dealt Markkanen to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a 3-team deal — something the Bulls front office had stuck to their guns regarding.

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley essentially told the league that they wouldn’t deal Markkanen unless there was a third team involved to help out, and they stuck to that ideal.

The Bulls got what they wanted, and that was that. This new front office is exactly what the Bulls have long needed — a couple of men who will settle for nothing less than what they want and deserve, even if they end up making out like bandits.

In trading Lauri Markkanen, the Chicago Bulls made out like crooks, and cemented themselves as pure savages.

In exchange for Markkanen, the Bulls received a future first-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s a lottery protected first, but it won’t expire until 2028. So, with the odds of Portland making the playoffs one of the next seven seasons being highly likely, the Bulls will end up taking that pick one of these years.

Chicago also received a second-round pick from Cleveland, along with Derrick Jones Jr. and his expiring contract.

If you were to look at some other deals made around the league, this one simply screams “genius.”

Eversley and Karnisovas have done a masterful job with the Bulls this offseason. For example, the New Orleans Pelicans traded Lonzo Ball for a second-round pick, Tomas Satoransky and a freshly inked Garrett Temple, who comes to New Orleans on a 3-year deal.

The fact Chicago got far more for Markkanen than the Pelicans did for Ball is hilarious in and of itself. Ball is a much more valuable player than Markkanen. However, when you think about the Bulls being involved on the other end of the Pelicans’ deal, it becomes even funnier.

Chicago’s front office has truly figured out a way to get exactly what they want — without budging. What is this world we live in?

Gar Forman and John Paxson could never imagine pulling off a summer like these Bulls. They have never gotten close to making the Bulls a free agent destination, or coming out on top of several trades. On the contrary, Chicago was typically on the losing end of the more recent deals under Forman and Paxson.

Markkanen wanted out. Folks started wondering when the saga would come to a close and whether Eversley and Karnisovas would settle. Yet, they didn’t. These two have become one of the best front offices in all of basketball, and have made it clear to the rest of the league that they are going to be a force going forward. Just ask Charles Barkley.