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USATSI

The Chicago Bulls underwent a major makeover ahead of the NBA's trade deadline last week as they added two veteran big men in Daniel Theis and Nikola Vucevic to their roster. While the additions certainly help to fortify the frontcourt in Chicago, they also displaced fourth-year forward Lauri Markkanen from Chicago's starting unit and in turn added a layer of uncertainty to his future with the Bulls. 

Prior to the acquisitions, Markkanen, who is set for restricted free agency after the season, had started in 193 of the 194 games that he had played for Chicago. Now, he'll have to adjust to a reserve role after hearing his name pop up in trade rumors. Despite the demotion, Markkanen is doing his best to remain positive and not be a distraction to a Bulls team that is in the midst of a battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. 

"I'm a team guy. I understand it," Markkanen said of the move, via NBC Sports Chicago. "And, of course, it's a little -- what was this, my second game off the bench? So the rhythm of the game is a little bit different. But I'll do whatever I can ... I mean, I feel like we're all competitors and you always want to start. I feel like that's how everybody feels. And I know I'm a starter in this league. But I'm gonna play my role. I know Coach [Billy Donovan] has a lot to handle with the new guys coming and so it's gonna be an adjustment.

"I mean, he [Donovan] had his reasons," Markkanen continued. "And like I said, I haven't questioned him at all the whole year. I trust Billy. I know I can start and that's how I've been playing. But I'm really not gonna do anything that's gonna harm the team. I think we are all tired of losing and we're just trying to get better at that. I mean, it hasn't been working for us too well so we gotta change something. It's disappointing personally, but it is part of it and just I'm gonna do whatever I can do to help the team and control what I can control."    

Markkanen is taking the move to the bench in stride, but one couldn't blame him for questioning Chicago's level of commitment to him moving forward. After all, the two sides failed to reached an agreement on an extension prior to the start of the season, then the Bulls were reportedly listening to offers for him leading up to deadline day, and now he's been bumped to the bench. That's certainly not the typical chain of events for young players who are very valued and viewed as long-term pieces by an organization. 

As a restricted free agent after the season, Markkanen will be able to test the market and get offers from other organizations. Then, the Bulls will have an opportunity to match any outside offers to retain him, and perhaps they will. After all, if they were planning to part ways with Markkanen anyway, one would wonder why they didn't just trade him prior to the deadline to get something in return. Maybe the move to the bench will work out, and the two parties will want to continue on together after the season. That's a pretty big maybe, though, and given the history between the sides, it wouldn't be super surprising if Chicago opted against matching an outside offer, and we see Markkanen in a different uniform next season.