No contract extension for Bulls' Markkanen
The deadline for players to sign rookie contract extension passed Monday afternoon with no agreement between the Bulls and Lauri Markkanen.
It was always a longshot to get done, since Markkanen had a disappointing third NBA season. He has plans to bounce back, but until it happens it's not easy to land on a fair future salary.
So Markkanen, the No. 7 pick of the 2017 draft, will become a restricted free agent next summer and the Bulls will have the ability to match any offer from another team.
When training camp began, Markkanen told reporters he was pushing his agent to get a deal done because he wants to stay in Chicago.
There were a flurry of NBA extensions announced Monday by ESPN and other outlets. The list includes Orlando's Jonathan Isaac (4 years, $80 million) and Markelle Fultz (3 years, $50 million), San Antonio's Derrick White (4 years, $73 million), Toronto's OG Anunoby (4 years, $72 million), the LA Clippers' Luke Kennard (4 years, $64 million), and the Lakers' Kyle Kuzma (3 years, $40 million).
Players that signed maximum extensions before Monday were Boston's Jayson Tatum, Utah's Donovan Mitchell, Miami's Bam Adebayo and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox.