Arturas Karnisovas on : “We like Lauri, and we would like him to be part of this organization for a long time … We’re going to make every effort to get it [an extension] done.”
Lauri Markkanen on December 1st: “Hopefully, they can come to an agreeme♊nt. 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.”
Billy Donovan on “We all believe Lauri is an important part of our team moving forward.”
The date is now December 21st,🦂 a.k.a. the last remaining day to sign 2017 draft picks to a rookie-scale extension. Over the past several weeﷺks we have seen some major names come to terms with their original teams, and while the Bulls have remained adamant that they want Markkanen to be the next, they still have yet to put their money where their mouth is.
In fact, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Bulls and Lauri Markkanen walked into the weekend still very far apart on a potential deal. also reported that conversations on Sunday didn’t lead to anything fruitful. In other words, by the end of today, Lauri Markkanen will most likely know that he will be a restricted free agent next offseason. And this might really be the best-case-scenario for all parties, especially Markkanen. While it would be nice to lock him up on a team-friendly deal, this not only puts a chip on the big man’s shoulder but gives the organization more time to evaluate whether or not he can truly become an elite talent.
If Markkanen fails to have a bounceback year, the team could let him walk or try to keep, once again, keep him on a rather team-friendly deal. If he has a breakout year, the organization might have to spend more money, but they’ll likely be okay with that considering his performance.
I guess we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves, though. The two sides still have a little longer to figure something out, so we’ll wait and see what happens.
In the meantime, get caught up:
Bulls Commi𝓡tment to Lauri Markkanen Has ﷽Not Wavered, But the Deadline for an Extension Looms
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls)
Now Is the 💫Time for Lauri Markkanen to Right the Ship
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls)
