Report: Timberwolves interested in sign-and-trade for Lauri Markkanen
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be looking to upgrade at power forward when free agency begins on Monday and one of their targets could be Lauri Markkanen.
According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Timberwolves are "one team to keep an eye on" for the Chicago Bulls forward who could be had in a sign-and-trade deal. Scotto also reports that multiple teams with cap room are interested including the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Markkanen is coming off a strong season for the Bulls where he averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Although those numbers weren't as strong as his 2018-19 season (18.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg), Markkanen set career highs in 3-point (.402) and overall (.480) field goal percentage in a limited role.
The Timberwolves are ready to deal after trading Ricky Rubio to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. The draft-night deal gave the Timberwolves financial flexibility to make a deal with sign-and-trades the most feasible way to make that happen.
While the Timberwolves have been linked to Ben Simmons and Myles Turner, Markkanen may be the more realistic route to upgrade the roster without giving up premium assets.
Markkanen is a restricted free agent that could benefit from a bigger role on the Timberwolves and could also begin what's expected to be a busy offseason.
