The Bulls and their recently-departed backup power forward Lauri Markkanen should both be better off following the restricted free agent’s sign-and-trade agreement with the Cavaliers, contends Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Given that retaining Markkanen in Chicago would almost certainly stir locker room drama this season, Smith notes that both sides seem poised to benefit from this fresh start. The Bulls were able to add back two new future draft picks and some salary cap flexibility with Derrick Jones Jr.‘s expiring contract.
Markkanen, meanwhile, will get to once again put up good numbers on a new lottery-bound Cavaliers team that should inflate his depreciated value around the league. Smith still sees potential All-Star upside in Markkanen, the seventh overall selection by the Bulls out of Arizona in the 2017 draft. Perhaps the seven-footer can reach his ceiling in Cleveland.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- There are some fascinating wrinkles to ponder now that Markkanen has joined the Cavaliers, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Russo takes a deep dive into the Markkanen deal and how it could impact Cleveland’s frontcourt rotations. The 24-year-old sharpshooting big man will help spread the floor, and could do well alongside ball-handlers Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Evan Mobley, the third pick in the 2021 draft out of USC, should compete with Markkanen for starting power forward honors. Mobley will likely see more time at center now, too, behind newly-minted $100MM man Jarrett Allen. Injury-prone former All-Star power forward Kevin Love will most likely fall behind both Markkanen and Mobley in the rotation now.
- Oft-traded new Cavaliers reserve point guard Ricky Rubio admitted that being dealt so frequently has proven frustrating, as he told Didac Piferrer of Marca (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops). “I am indeed a bit tired (of the trades), but I have been in the NBA for ten years now and I know how it works,” Rubio said. “At the end of the day, everyone tries to be ready to adapt to a new environment. You must be mentally prepared for his. But everything takes time.” Rubio was dealt from the Suns to the Thunder, then to the Timberwolves, during the 2020 offseason. He was subsequently sent to Cleveland during the 2021 offseason. Rubio, who is on the last season of a three-year, $51MM deal he inked with Phoenix in 2019, has also played for the Jazz during his ten-year NBA career.
- The Cavaliers renounced their free agent exception rights to two-way point guard Jeremiah Martin when completing the Markkanen sign-and-trade, per RealGM. After Cleveland promoted power forward Lamar Stevens from a two-way deal to its 15-man roster in April 2021, the club added Martin on a two-way contract. He suited up for nine contests with the team for the 2020/21 season.
My guess is the renouncements by Cleveland were done to in order to stay below the tax line, rather than the hard cap. Doing so lets them accomplish the trade by salary-matching using Nance’s salary + $5m, while if they had kept the holds they would have only been able to salary-match 125% + 100k of Nance’s salary, significantly less.
It could be both since they are hard-capped, but I’m guessing they also want to avoid paying taxes as well with less than $5M in luxury tax space.
Yeah but cap holds don’t count towards hard cap or tax. So…nope
Any word on if that 1st round pick Bulls get is good? Can’t find anything. No.1 overall? No. 12 overall? No.29 overall? Not a peep, nobody tell me nothing
it’s a lottery protected pick thru 2028.
Can’t tell if you are trolling but the draft order depends on the teams record. So depending on what the trailblazers record is will decide where they will pick….
@thefallen
regardless, it won’t transfer if it’s a lottery pick which I think is top 11.
Top 14
@thefallen
or not until 2029 when I guess it’s unprotected or does not convey at all.
The pick is top-14 protected every year from 2022 through 2028.
If it doesn’t convey by 2028, it becomes a 2nd round pick that year.
Rubio would be a great backup on a contender if he didn’t have such a silly contract.
Be careful what you wish for!
@orien
it’s an expiring contract tho so that makes him more attractive.
Does Rubio have Bird-rights with the Cavs? Can Cavs go over the cap next year to resign him is what I’m getting at.
They should have his bird rights since he signed a 3-year deal with Phoenix before he was traded to OKC, then Minnesota, and eventually to Cleveland.
Wouldn’t Rubio rather sign a vet min deal with LA or PHI? A place he could contend for a ring anyway? He’s already made his millions. Why re-up with CLE and have no chance at a ring? Maybe MIN will get him on a vet min once Ant and KAT have them in the playoff hunt in 2023.
So you’re saying Rubio has a better chance of winning on the Timberwolves in two years than the Cavs? Lol okay.
Cavs seem to have an abundance of skilled but one-dimensional players. Markannen, Rubio, Allen, Sexton e.g. A master coach might have trouble creating a real team from this. Looks like the GarPax versions of the Bulls.
Garpax were a legend in bad way…thank god we have akme now
Markannen yes, one dimensional. Sexton, yeah kinda one dimensional but is one of the best at his “dimension” with scoring. Rubio and Allen though are not at all. Rubio is terrific passer, and his defense has been stellar these past few years. Allen is great in the P&R, and rebound with the best of them, and is a great defensive player.
Rubio will be back in Europe with his NBA Wad of Cash next season