Former Wildcat Lauri Markkanen gets traded to Cleveland

Still, in the midst of a busy off-season, former Wildcat Lauri Markkanen is on the move as the Finnisher is heading to Cleveland on a sign-and-trade. 

Who doesn’t love following the off-season NBA action, especially when it involves our former beloved Wildcats? With news coming out of T.J. McConnell signing a massive extension, to Andre Iguodala rejoining the Warriors, the action has been ongoing. Well, Lauri Markkanen is just the latest Wildcat to make the headlines.

A longtime player with the Chicago Bulls that was initially drafted No. 7 overall back in 2017, Lauri had been rumored to be unhappy for a while now and wanted to leave Chicago. This past season was perhaps the boiling point for Markkanen, especially as he saw his role decreased with the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic.

Despite seeing rather solid success with the Bulls overall, Lauri’s time in Chicago officially comes to an end.

Making news on Friday afternoon, it was announced that former Wildcat Lauri Markkanen was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on a sign-and-trade deal.

Signing a four-year, $67 million deal as part of a three-team trade, Lauri has a new team after spending weeks in a holding pattern, and for his sake, let’s hope this will be a good fit.

Now entering year five in the NBA, Lauri still has a lot left in the tank and should see an increased role with the Cavaliers. He is still a high-level player that excels in catch-and-shoot situations, with a shot that extends well beyond the three-point line.

In his career, Lauri is averaging 36.6 percent from three and shot a career-best 40.2 percent from three last year.

Lauri’s strength is by playing on the perimeter as well as creating separation and mismatches. He is not a true post player that creates and plays through contact, and he is more of a stretch four that is becoming increasingly popular in the NBA. Should he be used efficiently, Lauri could see a resurgence of sorts in his career!