Lauri Markkanenhe Utah JazzThe Finnish striker has a unique personality. NBA Skill set.
In a league that values shooting, Markkanen is making 40 percent of his 3-pointers on eight attempts per game. Add to that the fact that he’s seven-foot-six, plays well above the rim, averaged 23 points and eight rebounds a night and did all of that without starting point guard for much of the season. The Utah Jazz need a No. 1 option, and Markkanen is best suited as a No. 2 on a championship-caliber team. But at 27, Markkanen, who came to the Jazz in the trade that sent Donovan Mitchell toward Cleveland Cavaliersis a star.
The NBA knows this. That’s why half the league is lining up waiting for the Jazz to decide to trade him. Of that number, several reports point to teams like the Golden State Warriors, Spurs of Saint Anthony and Kings of Sacramento increasing interest and preparing offers for the Jazz to evaluate.
The Jazz know this, too, which is why they are hesitant to trade Markkanen, even in the midst of a rebuild that still appears to be in its early stages. In reality, even if the Jazz can get a big offer and a ton of assets for Markkanen, he might be more valuable to the Jazz than the rest of the league.
From Deron Williams to Carlos Boozer, passing by Gordon Hayward and Mitchell. Rudy GobertThe past 20 years post-Karl Malone and John Stockton have proven relentless with the Jazz’s effort to retain a star player long-term. Markkanen and his family are comfortable in Utah and are willing to accept Utah’s plans for a potential contract renegotiation and extension once that window opens later this summer.
Since the end of the season, Markkanen has been constantly at the Jazz facility working on his game, lifting weights and bonding with his teammates. He certainly wants to win, and the losses of the past two seasons have been frustrating. But he’s happy in Utah and happy with the Jazz.
These are all aspects that the Jazz need to take into account when making any decisions regarding Markkanen. One can argue that Markkanen is entering the prime of his career, and not on the schedule of the rest of his young and inexperienced teammates. On the other hand, as athletic as Markkanen is, his game is not dependent on his athletic ability. In basketball terms, he should age well, meaning the schedule shouldn’t be an issue.
On one hand, Markkanen’s presence helps the Jazz win, and that might not be a good thing considering how talented the 2025 NBA draft class is, led by Cooper Flagg. The Jazz need to lose as much as possible to keep their protected first-round picks from 1 to 10 that they owe the Jazz. Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the other hand, let’s look at how the Western Conference is shaping up for next season. If the Jazz, who have yet to make any major moves in free agency, don’t make any, you could argue they can be as bad as any Western Conference team, even with Markkanen.
Of course, the teams pursuing the Jazz for Markkanen have their own plans. The Warriors are trying to prepare for one last run at the league title. Stephen Curry era. The Kings are salivating at the thought of pairing Markkanen with Keegan MurrayAnd can you imagine Markkanen teaming up with… Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio?
The Jazz also know that many of the teams trying to convince them to trade Markkanen are trying to add to their core, not subtract from it. Therefore, Golden State is not going to offer Jonathan KumingaThe Kings will not offer Murray. If the Oklahoma City Thunder come calling, they will not offer him anything. Jalen WilliamsThe Jazz have plenty of offers on the table, but if the Jazz trade Markkanen for anyone, it would likely improve the team quite a bit. So how good will those picks ultimately be? That’s a question the Jazz need to answer.
Of course, the argument for trading Markkanen is the talent level in the 2025 and 2026 NBA Drafts. Both are fantastic, with dynamic, franchise-level talent at the top. In 2025, there’s Flagg. But there’s also Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and Nolan Traore, perhaps the best point guard to come out of France since Tony Parker. In 2026, there’s Cam Boozer, Carlos’ son. There’s AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat and Ian Jackson. Utah needs as many bites of the apple as possible in those draft classes. It’s fair to ask if they can put themselves in that position with Markkanen on the roster.
In the coming days, the Jazz will set the course for the 2024-25 season. They have signed Eubanks drewthe rough and tumble center who played for the Phoenix Suns last season. However, that is the only substantial move so far. The Jazz have remained steadfast in their stance on Markkanen despite the noise surrounding a potential trade in recent days: they do not want to trade Markkanen.
If a team wants to sign Markkanen, its offer will have to force general manager Justin Zanik and executive Danny Ainge to go to owner Ryan Smith and basically say, “Hey, we need to think about this.”
What is this exceptional offer? Only Ainge and Zanik can answer that question. At the same time, Brooklyn networks trade Mikal’s Bridges toward The New York Knicks Trading five first-round picks sets up a market. Did the Knicks overpay for Bridges? Probably. But they had to make the trade because Bridges represented a final piece of their puzzle.
Do the Jazz feel like they have that kind of “Godfather” offer? As of Monday night, the answer is likely “No,” because Markkanen is still wearing a Jazz uniform.
It’s a fascinating battle Utah is waging with itself knowing there’s another trove of assets out there somewhere, and knowing that the next two draft classes are where the franchise has the best chance of landing that elusive No. 1 option every NBA champion needs. But there’s a lot to be said for the Jazz finding a way to make it deep into next season with Markkanen on the roster, and going with Flagg or Bailey or Harper, and having their No. 2, Markkanen, already in place.
There’s also a lot to be said for allowing Utah’s young players to develop next season and take collective hits. Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh are heading into their second season and Walker Kessler heads towards his third. Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski They’re rookies. They’re a group of young guys the Jazz need to evaluate and play. Unless Utah becomes a free agent in the next few days, those guys have plenty of opportunities.
Even if Markkanen does extend his contract, that likely won’t stop teams from trying to test Utah’s resolve at the trade deadline or next summer. It’s become one of the top stories of every offseason. We shouldn’t expect the rumors to die down anytime soon.
(Photo by Lauri Markkanen: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)