Lauri Markkanen has a new destination for the next phase of his career after agreeing to a four-year and $67 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Shams Charania from The Athletic. For the signing to be made, a sign and trade was needed and the Portland Trail Blazers were added to it.
The Bulls will receive Derrick Jones Jr., a Portland protected first-rounder and a Denver protected 2023 second-rounder. As for the Blazers, they will add Larry Nance Jr to the roster.
Bulls: Derrick Jones Jr., Portland protected first-rounder, Denver protected 2023 second-rounder
Cavaliers: Lauri Markkanen
Trail Blazers: Larry Nance Jr. https://t.co/slpHsB08cm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2021
During the offseason, the Bulls made big moves by adding DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball to the team. The two signings put an asterisk to Markkanen’s situation with Chicago and multiple teams showed interest in the seven-footer from Finland.
Now, Markkanen gets a change of scenery that will benefit his career, although it will be interesting to see how J.B. Bickerstaff will manage the bigs rotation and the multiple options he has. Jarrett Allen’s specialty is on the defensive end and Lauri’s is on the offense. As for their most recent draft pick, Evan Mobley is more of a two-way player.
In his four-year career in the NBA, the Finnish power forward has averages of 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 29.5 minutes per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the three-point area.
