It’s no secret that Lauri Markkanen could find his way out of Chicago. The restricted free agent couldn’t come to terms with the Bulls on an extension before the 2020-21 season and rumors swirled about the team trading him as well as their willingness to spend to bring him back, given his demotion to the bench in the wake of the Nikola Vucevic acquisition.
Now, it’s there are rumblings that Markkanen ‘privately’ wants to join the Mavericks and play alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis (via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Does Dallas Make Sense For Markkanen?
Given the previous rumors of him wanting to be a starter again, it’s a curious fit. Prior to the trade deadline, there were reports that the Mavs were looking to deal Porzingis, though they were followed up with denial by Mavericks officials and new reports that they wanted to pair Porzingis with a defensive-minded big man surfaced. If the former is true, Markkanen makes a lot of sense; if the latter is, the former No. 7 overall pick isn’t really a fit in the starting lineup, though a Markkanen-Porzingis pairing would make for an exciting offensive frontcourt.
Dallas has the ability to easily clear substantial cap space this summer. That may mean the end of Tim Hardaway Jr.’s run on the Mavericks, as was previously reported, and if the team is going to make a splash, finding someone on the wing seems to be a bigger priority, at least from the outside looking in.
