Lauri Markkanen – Chicago Bulls
For some reason, Lauri Markkanen is not talked about enough when he really deserves to be. He is one of the better big men in the league under 24-years old and the last three years with the Bulls, he has been one of their best players on the offensive end of the court.
Now in his fourth year in the league with Chicago, Lauri Markkanen has averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and has shot 36.1% from three-point range over the course of his career. He is not a traditional big man who plays in the low-post and outmuscles his opponents in the paint, but his outside shooting and his pick-and-roll play is what makes him such a unique player.
While the Suns do have plenty of depth at the forward position, with Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson all having the ability to play the power-forward position, they could really benefit from adding a young phenom like Lauri Markkanen. He is another high-level player they could have on their roster and could create one of the better frontcourts in the entire league.
The Phoenix Suns have emerged as one of the better teams in the entire league this season after adding some key players in the offseason, future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul included, but it still seems like they are missing one piece to be a true title contender in the Western Conference.
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Lauri Markkanen could be that missing piece for the Suns and fit their system perfectly next to DeAndre Ayton in the frontcourt. Having a “stretch 4” like Markkanen not only opens up the court for Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the offensive-end of the court, but also gives the Suns another reliable perimeter shooter they can depend on for production.
Chicago has expressed interest in trading the young forward ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and multiple teams have expressed interest in Lauri Markkanen. The Suns could very much be in the running to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline, but should not look to change up their roster to do so.
