The Phoenix Suns need a power forward and Lauri Markkanen would be the impossible dream target for the future.
The presumptive thory throughout the offseason has been that the Phoenix Suns will potentially target a point guard with the sixth overall pick in the draft this month, then seek their power forward in free agency.
There are a number of free agent power forwards potentially available to be had, but by acquiring one through FA then means that the Suns’ veteran point guard options are limited by cost or time via development.
What if the Suns could instead move out of the first round entirely (something that I am a strong advocate for) and target a power forward in trade, then utilize that additional savings on signing the best available point guard at a greater cost (this might be the only way that they could acquire D’Angelo Russell, for instance).
The reason that I personally love the idea of signing Tobias Harris in free agency, for instance, is because he is such a fantastic stretch-four. His 3-point shooting is outstanding for a power forward, and while he is in his second half of his 20’s (I cannot believe that in NBA terms it seems like he is somehow getting old), he could very easily be a strong contributor for the better part of a decade, stretching the floor for Deandre Ayton and giving Devin Booker a strong shooter to hit when he is double-teamed on the perimeter.
However, while it is possible that James Jones could acquire Tobias and still find a legitimate point guard in free agency, Harris’ contract would limit Jones’ options and force him to seek some of the less-sexy names available, who we have discussed here.
But what if the Suns acquired a solid, young stretch-four (one that isn’t talked about at all as being tradable at the moment); someone who not only offered Phoenix that outside shooting power forward, although at a much closer age to the young core; one who is still under his rookie contract; and who through those contract savings, would give Jones a greater opportunity to sign one of the better-known names in free agency at point guard, potentially making the Suns a heckaof a lot better, much quicker?
The perfect player for the Phoenix Suns to target would be Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen, although such a move is probably impossible.
Of course, he’d be perfect for Phoenix
Listen (or read – whatever), I know that there has been zero talk of Markkanen being on the trade block. He is a solid young power forward and a potential cornerstone-type player if placed on a good team.
I did a lot of research before writing this just to see how much of a possibility there could be that the Bulls would be willing to trade him for any reason, and while I never saw the words “untouchable” or “untradable,” I also never saw anything that mentioned even “if” the Bulls traded him, how much could they get back.
He is basically discussed as if he was untouchable, and while I am sure Chicago has a selling point, I am not sure short of Devin Booker where their price point could potentially be.
Markkanen has only been in the league for two seasons, but while injuries have hampered his playing time a little bit thus far (he has missed a total of 44 games since he entered the league), he has started all but one game in his career, last year putting up a fantastic line of 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 36.1% from 3.
At 21-years-old, every Phoenix Suns fan should be drooling at the likes of placing him next to Booker and Ayton.
However, unlike when Phoenix acquired already superstar Jason Kidd in 1996 in only his third season, Markkanen isn’t part of a triad of trouble and by all accounts is a good player in the locker room.
And while I am upset to this day that the Suns didn’t find a way to steal Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks when he seemed untouchable yet was still traded to Dallas, Porzingis had had a souring relationship for some time that Markkanen does not seem to have in the Windy City.
Acquiring Markkanen would be extremely difficult – although James Jones should absolutely kick the tires. Hell, light the fire himself, if he needs to. Find out what their price point is (including picks) and try reaching it.
Like the Suns, the Chicago Bulls are in a rebuilding phase and hit rock bottom last season (so they hope) when they finished 22-60. Then, much to their fan’s chagrin, the lottery failed them as they were leap-frogged three times (like Phoenix) and fell from fourth in the lottery to seventh in the draft.
While the Bulls do seem to have solid shooters at almost every position (Kris Dunn at point, Zach LaVine at shooting guard, Otto Porter at small forward, and of course Markkanen at power forward), they lack that above average distributor to allow those shooters better opportunities and a more free-flowing offense.
As one writer for Pippen Ain’t Easy noted, like Phoenix, they too need that point guard necessary to make the offense run, and proposed that Chicago should leap-frog the Suns and grab the best available before James Jones could.
When I first read that, I couldn’t help but in my mind imagine the famous meme of Luke Skywalker shouting “Nnnnooooooooooo” (I am not sure if I misspelled that), but then I wondered: if the Bulls might be willing to leap-frog Phoenix, why not just give them their spot?
Just imagine would could have been, and what could be in this dream scenerio
Taken with the seventh overall pick in 2017, Lauri Markkanen was a steal for the Chicago Bulls.
Ryan McDonough and the Phoenix Suns famously screwed with the Boston Celtics to force them to take Jayson Tatum while McDonough took who he claimed was the best player in the draft, Josh Jackson.
My sincerest apologies for having to remind you of that fact.
By selecting Jackson, McDonough of course passed on literally every other player in the draft selected from five to 60 as Jackson can currently lay claim to the worst Win Share in his entire draft class with a -2.4.
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Superstar Donovan Mitchell went nine picks later, power forwards Markkanen Kyle Kuzma and Markkanen went three and 23 picks later, each among a long list of significantly better players who were taken well after Phoenix picked.
It is impossible to say that had the Suns taken Markannen, and instead of Jackson’s -2.4 Win Share, if they had a player who actually produced if they would have still landed the first overall pick in 2018 and had the opportunity at taking Deandre Ayton (although had they maybe had the second overall pick they would have still taken Ayton as the team who potentially went first may have taken Luka Doncic, and if they selected later they would have had the chance to snag Trae Young, but who knows), but for a moment, let’s still place Lauri on the Suns right now:
Excluding everyone else in the lineup, a trio of Markannen, Booker, and Ayton would be a formidable offensive force.
Of course with Markannen’s shooting, whoever is at point would have two very good outside threats on the wings at all times with he and Booker, allowing Monty Williams to set up a “bomb’s away” approach in a sped up offense.
Keeping Markannen away from the paint would then open up the offense for Deandre Ayton who would be able to dominate the post (presuming he actually started taking fouls and hit the free throw line at a much greater clip than his rookie year).
That inside/outside game would be very difficult to stop, and if Jones was able to get a point guard to facilitate it – which in this scenario I feel they are far more likely to do – the future would be far brighter in the Valley of the Suns.
Defensively, Ayton (already a double-digit rebounder) and Markannen (who average 9.0 last season would soak up a huge number of defensive rebounds, not only preventing second chance opportunities which would limit possessions for the Suns’ opponents (an imperative necessity for a team that is not likely to be one of lock down defense regardless), but lead to many more fastbreak opportunities, and more scoring chances for Booker and other shooters to take advantage of.
And this is why it is probably impossible
If James Jones were willing to give up Booker, Chicago probably makes the trade.
Obviously that isn’t going to happen, so the only way to even try and make a blockbuster deal is either through a means of helping Chicago open up enough cap space to acquire a major star (or two) in free agency, or facilitate the acquisition of one through a three-team trade.
Of course Chicago likely wants to acquire a player to play alongside Markkanen the same as Phoenix wants to place Marakkanen alongside Booker and Ayton, but for this dream to ever become a reality, we can only theorize the possibility of acquiring him under the assumption that Chicago could actually have a greater shot at a superstar in free agency than we are currently aware of.
Phoenix Suns
All we really have to go on is this: like the Suns, the Bulls are continuing to rebuild, and the chances are that they are not going to find the next star with the seventh overall pick in the draft. They too are probably a little bit earlier in their own process of rebuilding than Phoenix is, and although they are in the Eastern Conference where even a really good college team could make the playoffs, they are a ways away from competing just yet.
What the Suns could offer right away is another lottery ticket in the form of a draft pick with the sixth overall pick. They could also offer the 32nd overall pick, and Milwaukee’s 2020 first overall pick – which might as well be a second rounder so, eh.
At that point, Chicago would have the sixth, seventh, 32nd, and 38th overall picks in the draft, but will have lost arguably their best young player to do so.
So that alone does not work.
Chicago also does not have any major contracts on their books that the Suns could potentially offer to take off of their hands – aside from Otto Porter who is way overpaid but had a solid 15 games for the Bulls last season after they acquired him from Washington. That said, if Chicago already regrets that trade, Phoenix could take him for the opportunity at Markannen and take on the cap mess that he is arguably causing the Bulls as we speak.
The Suns could potentially then offer T.J. Warren and Mikal Bridges (Warren is a better scorer than Porter and Bridges a superior defender, plus I am going to speculate and say they don’t want anything to do with Josh Jackson).
That or the Bulls end up in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes and the Suns sidle in on a three-team deal (especially with Zion coming in, one could argue that he and Markannen would clash offensively).
Unfortunately, unless a three-team deal materialized for a superstar (or FA signing like Kevin Durant, I guess) causing a clash at PF, the only way for a move of this kind to occur would be if Chicago Bulls management believed that they were still so far away from relevance that regardless of Marakkanen’s potential, they needed quantity of young players over quality at the moment and saw the opportunity to have multiple top-ten picks plus two young players right away.
A trade like this would be a dream for the Phoenix Suns, which ultimately is about all it very well could be. However, as I have regularly argued, James Jones needs to try and find a way to move a splash trade, and for me, finding a way to acquire Markannen would be the ultimate dream-chasing scenario.