The Bulls have exercised their fourth-year option on forward Lauri Markkanen and third-year options on center Wendell Carter Jr. and forward Chandler Hutchison, according to a team press release. That guarantees the trio’s contracts for the 2020/21 season.
Markkanen will make $6.73MM next season after collecting $5.3MM this season.
Injuries limited Markkanen to 52 games last season. He averaged 18.7 PPG and 9.0 RPG while shooting .430 from the field and .361 from 3-point range.
Carter Jr. will take home $5.45MM next season after receiving approximately $5.2MM this season.
Carter Jr. was selected No. 7 overall in 2018 draft. He, too, battled injuries last season and was limited to 44 games but showed the ability to be a defensive anchor. He averaged 10,3 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 25.2 MPG as a rookie.
Hutchison will receive $2.44MM next season after making $2.33MM in 2019/20.
Hutchison, selected with the No. 22 pick in 2018, averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 44 games during his rookie campaign. He’s expected to play a reserve role this season.
The common denominator here is that all three missed significant amounts of time last year, with Carter and Hutchison missing almost half of the season.
Agreed. These guys will need to show they can play a full season. I mean, missing a few games isn’t a big deal. But missing 1/4 or 1/2 of a season is.