NBA’s best low-risk, high-reward free agents: Lauri Markkanen
Soooooooo my reasoning for this selection is pretty much the same as Malik Monk. Markkanen is a young player who played on dysfunctional lottery teams and displayed good shooting but not much beyond that. The difference: Markkanen is a restricted free agent. So it will take a little more to obtain him.
The Thunder, Spurs, and Timberwolves are reportedly interested in him, but I can’t imagine he’s going to get a massive offer. Despite having a career 3-point percentage of 36.6, the Finnisher (his nickname on Bball Ref…because he’s Finnish…get it?) has done nothing much else and is known to be a brutal (in a bad way) rebounder.
But the Monk point remains. You pay for the shooting, especially for a 7-footer. But a 24-year-old potentially going to a team like the Spurs with Pop could end up providing much, much more.