Until a year and a half ago Lauri Markkanen was in a tough spot. The Finn was no longer willing to continue with his first NBA club, the Chicago Bulls. After signing a four-year rookie contract, Markkanen did not sign a new contract with Chicago.
The Finn became a restricted free agent. Despite the desire to leave, all the keys were still in the hands of the Bulls. They had the opportunity to respond to all offers regarding Markka.
The negotiations dragged on. It caused stress. However, after a long wait, all parties reached an agreement.
Markkanen moved to Cleveland in a trade between three clubs. The Finn signed a four-year, $67.4 million contract.
At that time, it was generally thought that Markkanen got as good a contract as possible in terms of money. However, after a convincing rookie season, the Finn had a background of injuries, strange playing tricks by coaches and uneven grips. Not many teams had room in their salary cap to take Markkas either.
In terms of Finns, the contract was also a record: the biggest ever from a Finnish team athlete.
Kimi Räikkönen The Ferrari contract between 2007 and 2009 is still at the top. According to Forbes, the contract between Räikkönen and Ferrari was worth 153 million dollars at the time.
In the NBA, the contract Markkanen’s contract was better than average. Markkanen is the 95th highest paid player in the league this season.
Based on what we saw this fall, Markkanen’s contract is really affordable.
Markkanen’s points per game average is the 21st highest in the entire league. Markkanen is ninth in points scored. The prestigious American media The Ringer in turn elevated him this week to the 33rd best player in the league (you switch to another service).
In the media poll, Markkanen became the number one favorite for the league’s most developed player award (you go to another service). There has been talk of selection for the league’s all-star game throughout the season.
Urheilu went down, which has been the price of Markkanen’s point. The comparison shows that Markkanen is currently one of the most affordable stars in the NBA.
When you look at the NBA’s 35 hardest scorers based on the points scored, the price of a point scored by Markkanen is the ninth cheapest: just under 9,000 euros.
On the other end you can find, for example, the star of Markkanen’s ex-club Zach LaVine names like After Markkanen’s rookie season, LaVine was given a 4-year, 80 million dollar contract.
LaVine is now in the final season of that contract. When looking at LaVine’s point price relative to this season’s salary, LaVine’s point has cost a good $21,000.
Last summer, LaVine signed a new 5-year, $215 million max contract.
Of the 35 best point guards, LaVine’s point price is the seventh most expensive. There are only players ahead of him who have missed a large part of the games in the first half of the season.
The price comparison of the point made is partly brutal. The comparison has been made in such a way that the current share of all matches played by the team has been considered from each player’s annual salary. That salary is divided by the total number of points scored.
In the comparison, players who have been on the sidelines for more matches in the first half of the season are relegated.
Of course, the players are not only paid for playing the game, but the salary is made up of many other factors as well. It also matters how efficiently you make baskets.
Ahead of Markkanen, almost exclusively those who play on a rookie contract
However, the price comparison gives some indication of the affordability of the Finnish contract.
In comparison, of the eight players ahead of Markkanen, the top six are still playing on their four-year rookie contracts. Among them Golden State With Jordan Poole is already pocketing a contract worth $123 million for the next four seasons.
of Memphis And Morant on the other hand, signed the maximum rookie contract last summer: $231 million over five years.
Representing the Washington Wizards Kyle Kuzma was reserved for the NBA like Markkanen in the summer of 2017. Markkanen was a stand-off reservation at the time, while Kuzma was one of the hardest robbers of that reservation event. Kuzma was the Lakers’ 27th booking.
Kuzma, who rose from the Lakers’ substitute player to the Wizards’ key player, earns $13 million this season. Kuzma would also have an option to sign a $13 million contract with Washington next season, but according to media reports, he would no longer be willing to do so (you will switch to another service).
Kuzma plans to be a free agent next summer, because according to media reports, with his current performance, he should be paid around 20-25 million dollars for the season.
Looking at Markkanen’s current value, it is worth remembering that the Finn has forged more statistics than Kuzma. Kuzma has scored 21.3 points, grabbed 7.5 rebounds and given 3.8 assists per game. The shooting percentage in game situations is 46.1.
Markkanen’s corresponding numbers are 24.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists. The shooting percentage is 52.9.
The eighth name above Markkanen is a Utah teammate Jordan Clarkson. His statistics are also lower than the Finn’s. Markkanen has also been more effective than Clarkson in his scoring this season.
Through efficiency, we can better understand why Markkanen is currently a really affordable player for his team.
The NBA likes statistics. Many parties have tried to build more advanced statistics to measure the players’ value and impact on the team’s play.
Editor of Bleacher Report Andy Bailey maintain ranking (you switch to another service)featuring averages from the league’s most reliable advanced stats.
It can also be seen from them that among the inexpensive point pickers mentioned at the beginning of the story, Ja Morant and Tyrese Haliburton.
Morant, who was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time last year and was selected as the most improved player of the year, has elevated Memphis to the top teams in the league at the moment. Along with Markkanen, Haliburton, who is playing his second NBA season, is one of the hottest sensations of the season.
Haliburton has led Indiana right into a playoff spot.
Salaries of the best players in Bailey’s ranking
The cheapest scorers in Bailey’s ranking
Markkanen’s Utah, on the other hand, was supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league before the season, but it turned out differently. However, Utah’s pace has slowed down after a wild start. Despite Markkanen’s high point tallies, the team has suffered numerous narrow losses.
There have been seven losses in the last ten games. Utah is even briefly out of the flat and tough Western Conference. Utah won 21 of their 44 games and suffered 23 losses. Now it is going last in the playoff qualifiers.
Last night, however, there was a flash of light when Utah was able to turn a tight game into a win against Markkanen’s old team, Cleveland.