Bulls @ Sixers 12pm CT Apr. 13 2025

[Dan Z]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html

Lauri PER by year:
15.6
17.1
14.3
15.2
14.7
22.1
21.7
Got paid
15.6

Dude basically Februlauried for two straight years. Well, more specifically, started aggressively attacking the basket and then stopped again.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he is certainly no Patrick Williams level bust or something.

The Jazz are tanking and I bet Ainge talked to him about that. You'd be motivated to go all out if you were in his situation?

[GoBlue72391]

I'm fundamentally opposed to trading for a guy who has declined pretty hard for 2 seasons straight since his contract year and big pay day. Granted his GM sabotaged the team, but that still doesn't explain why his advanced stats nose-dived. Lauri's final PER for this season is the exact same number as his rookie year (15.6), which is average. $54M (guaranteed to 2029) is risky.

Looking like his first Utah season was an outlier, with a similar but slower follow-up season. Sounds awfully similar to 2x All-Star Zach LaVine. The biggest difference I'd guess is he had an excellent PG in Conley for half that season. Then Dunn stepped in the following season. Since then, they've been completely rudderless (intentionally).

Wdym 2 straight seasons? This is his first down year and it's largely not his fault.

[MrSparkle]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html

Lauri PER by year:
15.6
17.1
14.3
15.2
14.7
22.1
21.7
Got paid
15.6

Dude basically Februlauried for two straight years. Well, more specifically, started aggressively attacking the basket and then stopped again.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he is certainly no Patrick Williams level bust or something.

The Jazz are tanking and I bet Ainge talked to him about that. You'd be motivated to go all out if you were in his situation?

Tanking or not, it’d be pretty weird (and a violation of league policy) to tell your best-paid player to not try playing hard.

[GoBlue72391]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html

Lauri PER by year:
15.6
17.1
14.3
15.2
14.7
22.1
21.7
Got paid
15.6

Dude basically Februlauried for two straight years. Well, more specifically, started aggressively attacking the basket and then stopped again.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he is certainly no Patrick Williams level bust or something.

That's such a biased, inaccurate summarization of what happened.

[GoBlue72391]

When he bounces back next season when they're (hopefully) not blatantly tanking, the narrative will shift to something else as the reason why we're bitter towards him.

[Chi town]

Want nothing to do with Lauri.

Ainge is crazy.

[MGB8]

I wasn’t a big fan of the Lauri hype when he was here, but the back half of his last season with the Bulls he started showing some more toughness and grit, which were the biggest things missing. He was always offensively versatile, even if he couldn’t create for himself at a super high level (though he could some, but struggled when guarded by smaller more mobile players on that front) and was more a “finisher”.

Anyway, he would be the 2nd best player on the Bulls team behind Giddey and ahead of Coby (though Coby creates at a higher level), until Matas potentially overtakes him…. But since Giddey isn’t great at guarding very mobile perimeter players, and Matas is also a clear F rather than a guy you want chasing opponents around the perimeter… the fit isn’t particularly good.

Doesn’t matter because the Bulls don’t have the assets to get him, besides trading a Giddey or a Matas.

Also, we didn’t move on from Lauri because he was a bad or even disappointing player. We moved on because of poor fit next to Vuc. Had AKME not made the disastrous Vic trade, and dome something smaller and better like Otto Porter and a 2nd for Drummond’s expiring, Lauri would have stuck around and likely blown up on the Bulls.

[sco]

I do believe we need another great player to contend, but not another one-way one like Lauri. He is skilled, but IMO, he is the Coby or Zach of PF's. Adding him to our team will be like adding Zach back. It won't make us better. In the end, we need a great 2-way point of attack defender and a great defensive C.

[kodo]

When he bounces back next season when they're (hopefully) not blatantly tanking, the narrative will shift to something else as the reason why we're bitter towards him.

I think Collins is probably out next year either in a trade or him simply not taking his PO, and Lauris' #s probably return. Ainge can wait until Lauri recovers some value to trade him or just keep him, but Collins needs an extension or he can walk out this summer, or they need to trade him if they don't want to give him a new contract.

[Muzbar]

Why is Lauri being discussed?

The Bulls would just be in the same boat as they were with Zach. Overpaid, overrated 'star' who has injury issues.

Let the young ones grow, bring in defense.

[Dez]

When he bounces back next season when they're (hopefully) not blatantly tanking, the narrative will shift to something else as the reason why we're bitter towards him.

And when he doesn't? Will you blame the tanking again? The Jazz tanking didn't make Lauri ass.

He's an overpaid one way player.

[MrSparkle]

I can’t really buy the tank excuse for Lauri’s drop. If anything, his numbers should’ve rocketed since there was nobody else taking shots.

Ainge tanked with the Celtics in 06 (before they made the Garnett trade… you know, they ended with a #5 pick, Jeff Green, who was traded for Ray Allen). Pierce sat almost half the season… but still averaged 25/6/4 with a 22 PER in 47 games.

$54M is a lot of money for somebody who drops to 42% FG and 16 PER in a bad season. I know he can bounce back a bit, but I’m sure Ainge is feeling a bit salty about not selling high before the extension.

[Dan Z]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html

Lauri PER by year:
15.6
17.1
14.3
15.2
14.7
22.1
21.7
Got paid
15.6

Dude basically Februlauried for two straight years. Well, more specifically, started aggressively attacking the basket and then stopped again.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he is certainly no Patrick Williams level bust or something.

The Jazz are tanking and I bet Ainge talked to him about that. You'd be motivated to go all out if you were in his situation?

Tanking or not, it’d be pretty weird (and a violation of league policy) to tell your best-paid player to not try playing hard.

I doubt Ainge told him not to try hard. He probably told him what the goal was for the year (which was to get a top pick).

But you already knew that's what I meant.

[PaKii94]

Lol at the Lauri bashing but it helps me distinguish who actually knows what they are talking about. Thanks Lauri!

[kulaz3000]

I like Lauri and always make sure to keep an eye on his career, but I have no desire to bring him back, even more so if we need to deal with Ainge.

Continue you with the youth movement.

[WesPeace]

I also always liked Lauri, but at this phase of the team and his not so good fit,no thanx.. lets bring in 3 & D talent for SF spot and/or young defensive C

[sco]

Why is Lauri being discussed?

The Bulls would just be in the same boat as they were with Zach. Overpaid, overrated 'star' who has injury issues.

Let the young ones grow, bring in defense.

I like talking about Lauri on a thread that I'm sure will go away and I won't need to keep looking at.

So more on Lauri. I do want to give him (and Utah) credit for maximizing his offensive game by putting him in a basket facing role.

Now that said, and my biggest knock on him when it came to my not wanting to resign him was his durability. It's hard to believe we drafted him 8 years ago now. During those 8 seasons, he has played more than 75% of games only twice. I had him on my fantasy team this season and he seemed to be battling a back issue all season, and back issues can be career problems. I wish him well, but don't want any more oft injured dudes on our roster. I am NOT a Vuc fan either, but if you compare their total stat contributions since our trade for Vuc, it's not even close. Durability is an ability.

[dougthonus]

When he bounces back next season when they're (hopefully) not blatantly tanking, the narrative will shift to something else as the reason why we're bitter towards him.

I'm not bitter towards Lauri, but if someone said, we'll give you Lauri for Vuc + Collins + Carter this off-season, I'd definitely have to stop and think about whether I want him on a deal averaging ~48M for the next four years. The calculus would be very similar to trading for Zach LaVine.

The comparison to Zach is pretty similar, absolutely loved the hell out of Zach on a 20M deal, just like you'd love the hell out of Lauri on that 15M deal and we love the heck out of Coby on his 13M deal. The total price ends up making a big difference in how you feel about a player.

The fact that it is a topic worthy of discussion shows all those players are really, really good, like top 60 basketball guys in the world, but players get judged on how good they are relative to how much they make, even if that judgment is often sub conscious for people. Fans even start ascribing personality traits based on on the gap between salary and performance and then think people change after that ratio changes.

[dougthonus]

Now that said, and my biggest knock on him when it came to my not wanting to resign him was his durability. It's hard to believe we drafted him 8 years ago now. During those 8 seasons, he has played more than 75% of games only twice.

FWIW, actually 3x (17/18, 19/20, 22/23), he was also 74.3% one year, and he's only played below 70% the past two years. Not to say your overall point is wrong, but in the modern NBA most stars are now averaging like 60 games a year, Lauri doesn't really standout from a durability perspective, the Jazz probably were happy to let him sit a lot this year and prolonged some of his outages too.

Big Dave would always say the best ability is availability, and I do agree there is something to that, but I just want to be a little fair to Lauri in discussing it. The fact that he has had persistent back problems over his career is definitely a concern though.

[Jcool0]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html

Lauri PER by year:
15.6
17.1
14.3
15.2
14.7
22.1
21.7
Got paid
15.6

Dude basically Februlauried for two straight years. Well, more specifically, started aggressively attacking the basket and then stopped again.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he is certainly no Patrick Williams level bust or something.

The Jazz are tanking and I bet Ainge talked to him about that. You'd be motivated to go all out if you were in his situation?

No way they told Lauri not to play hard and 100% Lauri wouldn't listen. They would put him in a position to fail and limit his minutes or outright sitting him with "injuries". They got fined $100,00 for doing it. In his last game against Chicago, the Jazz lost 97-111. Lauri had 16 points most in the 1st half. He ended up only playing 24 minutes in that game. If AK is the anti tank commander. Ainge is the general of tanking.