Pelicans, Hornets Eyeing Lauri Markkanen
August 8th, 2021 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams
The
Pelicans have displayed interest in restricted free agent forward
Lauri Markkanen, sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (
Twitter link).
As Stein notes, New Orleans just generated a trade exception worth more than $17MM in the team’s three-way trade that sent
Steven Adams and
Eric Bledsoe to Memphis. That newly-created exception could be used to accommodate a contract worth more than the mid-level for Markkanen.
The Pelicans and
Bulls also haven’t officially completed their
Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade deal yet, so it’s possible a Markkanen sign-and-trade could be looped into that agreement. However, that’d be more complicated, and the Ball agreement is currently being
investigated by the NBA.
The Bulls are believed to be seeking a first-round pick in order to facilitate a Markkanen sign-and-trade, says Stein. The Pelicans can’t use their trade exception to sign Markkanen to an offer sheet, so they’d need Chicago’s cooperation in order to offer him more than the mid-level.
Meanwhile, Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report says (
via Twitter) that the
Hornets, who were
rumored earlier in the week to be considering an offer sheet for Markkanen, remain in the hunt as a potential “sleeper.” However, that scenario is difficult to envision.
The Hornets have used up their cap room and would almost certainly have to acquire Markkanen via sign-and-trade, as Schultz
tweets. Charlotte doesn’t have a trade exception that would work in such a deal and would therefore have to match salaries.
The only salaries on Charlotte’s books that would really make sense as primary matching pieces, given Markkanen’s salary expectations, are
Terry Rozier‘s ($17.9MM) or
Mason Plumlee‘s ($9.25MM). Rozier is more valuable to the Hornets than he would be to the Bulls, who just agreed to acquire Ball and
Alex Caruso. And Charlotte just traded for Plumlee a few days ago to address the team’s hole at center.
It’s possible the Hornets will find a way to get creative and land Markkanen, perhaps using smaller salaries, but it would be a challenge.
Markkanen, meanwhile, continues to explore his options around the NBA in the hopes of joining a new team. He told a Finnish journalist
earlier this week that he’s seeking a “fresh start” after four years in Chicago.
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