The Chicago Bulls new front office will have to make arguably their biggest roster decision yet in the coming weeks. Fourth-year big man Lauri Markkanen is up for his rookie-scale extension this offseason, and if the two sides want to reach a deal, they’ll have to do so by December 21st.
The Bulls 2017 draft pick has experienced quite the up-and-down ride over the last couple of seasons, and right before the new front office took over, Markkanen had wrapped up the worst season of his pro career. Combine that with the fact that none of the Bulls current talent was hand-picked by the new organizational leaders, and it’s easy to see why Markkanen’s future in Chicago remains an open question.
However, , 𝓀he has no plan to leave the Windy City any time soon. In fact, he just told reporters at the open of Training Camp that he was pus🎀hing for his agent to get a deal done.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Markkanen said of what lies ahead. “Hopefully, they can come to an agreement. I can’t say how likely that is and stuff like that. But, like I’ve said before, I really want to be here long-term, so I’m putting some pressure on [my agent] to get it [an extension] done.”
☂All things considered, that is a pret♈ty interesting comment.
We’ve all been wondering whether Markkanen would favor less money for long-term security or more money and betting on himself in 2020-21. While this isn’t a kind of clear indicator, it could lean us toward believing the former. If Markkanen were willing to take a smaller sum to get that security and stick with the Bulls, that could be an immediate win for this new front office.
The possibility of him hitting restricted free agency in♛ 2021 is still very much on the table, but this might insinuate that a potential deal is that much more likely over the next couple of weeks.
For more extens꧑ion talk, make sure to check ouཧt our post from last week:
Where Will🌱 t🧸he Bulls Land on an Extension for Lauri Markkanen?
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls)
