Most of the big names are already off the board on the third day of NBA Free Agency, but there are two players who remain unsigned. Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Oubre Jr.
That's no coincidence though. According to NY Daily News' Kristian Winfield, both players have been left out to dry because of the huge money they're demanding:
Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Oubre Jr asked for too much money in free agency without the resume to back it up, a league source just told me. The market has cooled significantly on both with most teams out of money.
Mavs ($15M) & Hornets ($14.5M) among teams w cap space.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) August 4, 2021
This is obviously bad news for these guys. Lauri Markkanen is a restricted free agent, which means the Bulls can match any offer he gets from a different team. However, as Walker noted, not a lot of organizations have much money left, with the Finnish sharpshooter looking for around $20 million per season.
Oubre on the other hand is seeking a similar payday. Unfortunately, a lot of other notable players have secured the bag before these two. Lauri Markkanen is coming off a subpar season where he averaged just 13.6 points on 40% shooting from downtown, while Oubre put up 15.4 points per night while grabbing 6.0 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder is another who is still on the board and after the Lakers already signed numerous guards, his future in LA looks uncertain, especially with the money he's expecting.
At this point, it seems as all three free agents will need to sign smaller deals.
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