(670 The Score) Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen will have to prove his worth on the floor this season.
Markkanen and the team failed to come to an extension agreement off his rookie-scale contract before the deadline passed Monday evening, according to multiple reports. That means Markkanen will enter restricted free agency next summer, when he’ll be free to sign an offer sheet with any team in the NBA and the Bulls will retain matching rights.
Markkanen and the Bulls weren’t close on financial figures in negotiations as of Sunday evening, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported. It wasn’t immediately known what Markkanen and his camp wanted or what the Bulls offered.
On multiple occasions, the 23-year-old Markkanen has expressed his desire to remain in Chicago.
“I really want to be here for the long term, so I’m putting some pressure on my agent to get it done,” Markkanen said on Dec. 1 as the Bulls opened training camp.
Markkanen is coming off a poor season, which surely factored into the Bulls’ hardline stance in negotiations. He averaged 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds on 42.5% shooting last season, which were all career-low marks, and he hasn’t proved to be a difference-maker on the defensive end early in his career. The Bulls selected Markkanen at No. 7 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, where he was a key piece in the return package they received in the Jimmy Butler trade to the Timberwolves.
While teams have leverage by virtue of the restricted free agency process, Markkanen also now holds the power to earn a lucrative contract. He can do so by producing at a high level before hitting a market that will feature many teams holding ample salary cap space.
It was back on Dec. 1 that Markkanen pointed out he views every season as the make-or-break type for himself. This one, of course, fits that bill in a way others might not. His future with the Bulls organization is at stake.
“I have to go out there and perform at a high level consistently,” Markkanen said. “That’s what I got to do. Obviously, I see the other guys (in my draft class) getting (extensions), but like I said, I’m not worried about that. I'm going into the season with high expectations no matter what happened last year, and I'm really motivated to get out there and perform at a high level.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.