Boston Celtics: 3 traditional power forwards to pursue in a trade

Lauri Markkanen

The best traditional power forward left in the league is the sweet-shooting Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls. Currently slotted alongside Wendell Carter Jr. in the frontcourt, the Finnish pivot has been languishing under the tutelage of former coach Jim Boylen.

Luckily, he has been replaced with Billy Donovan, who did a damn fine job overseeing the “rebuild” in Oklahoma City. Those air quotes very much indicate that a rebuild was far from the reality for the Thunder this past season, with the team pushing the Houston Rockets to seven games in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Whether that is enough to undo the damage of three years of hindered development remains to be seen. Some scars remain unhealed, and the Bulls did just draft a player who will need some time at the power forward in Patrick Williams. With Otto Porter also currently in tow, and Thaddeus Young and Cristiano Felicio needing some burn at the 4, Markkanen has a lot of competition for minutes.

He should clearly play over all of those guys, but who knows. The Bulls have yet to prove capable of getting the most out of the #7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. As they continue to rebuild, the Boston Celtics should do whatever it takes to procure Markkanen before he hits the restricted free agent market next offseason.