The Detroit Pistons need to do their due diligence with Lauri Markkanen

Chicago Bulls standout Lauri Markkanen may be looking for a change of scenery, and the Detroit Pistons need to check in on a potential deal.

Amidst the chaos surrounding not just basketball but the entire world with the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent development in the NBA should warrant some interest from the Detroit Pistons.

Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls has reportedly expressed his displeasure with the organization’s front office and if a change isn’t made, he’d like to move on from the team.

As it stands, the Bulls currently have one of the more controversial and dysfunctional front offices in the entire league.

VP of Basketball Operations Jim Paxson and General Manager Gar Forman have drawn a ton of criticism over the years for their questionable staff hires, poor free agent contracts, and overall inability to construct a winning basketball team.

Fortunately for Markkanen, it appears Chicago may finally be moving on from those two this summer after reports surfaced that they were beginning their search for new show runners.

If this winds up being the case, then there likely won’t be much to worry about and Markkanen will continue his career with the Bulls.

However, if for whatever reasons the frustrations continue and he still wishes to play elsewhere, the Pistons should be one of the first teams that pick up the phone.

Markkanen had a tremendous first two yeas in the league, improving with seemingly every single game that passed.

In his rookie campaign he scored 15.2 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds per game on 43.4 percent shooting, and 36.2 percent from three-point range.

In year two he shot up to 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on 43.0 shooting and 36.1 percent from three.

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The eye test will show you that he regressed this season, and in a way he did, but the context here matters.

He was relegated into a more one-dimensional role where he wasn’t able to play at the rim as much as he should be. Instead, he was playing along to perimeter far too often.

He’s a decent three-point shooter, but his explosiveness at the rim and ability to fight through contact on finishes needs to be part of any offense that he’s in.

His pick and pop abilities in Detroit could propel the offense to a level that they haven’t been at in years, assuming the also get the right point guard to pair with him.

Markkanen is an exceptional scorer, and the second he enters the paint his length and size can make him indefensible. He would immediately become one of the Pistons best screeners as well.

What this would ultimately come down to is Detroit’s ability to actually land him. They’d have to wait far too long to sign him in free agency, so the only way to do it would be through the virtue of trade.

As it stands, the Pistons don’t exactly have too many trade chips. The ones that they do have, they may not get too much better by swapping them for Markkanen.

For example, Christian Wood (assuming he’s re-signed) would likely be an interesting piece for the Bulls to add. But, how much better does either team really get if the main part of a trade is centered on Wood?

If a package was centered on Luke Kennard, this would also likely be an acceptable return but then the Pistons are left without the main player in their wing contingency plan.

Detroit is going to want to pair Markkanen with a majority of the assets that they do have, and getting any deal done without crippling your depth and your offensive production would be a meticulous thing to navigate.

Regardless, this should still be something that Ed Stefanski monitors closely moving forward.