Lauri Markkanen & Jazz Expected to Negotiate New Deal Next Offseason

The majority of the new, expensive deals and extensions of this NBA summer have now died down for the most part. After Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown received his massive $300M deal earlier this week, some have begun to look forward to next offseason to see what new dominoes will soon appear and inevitably fall.

One of those dominoes happens to be involving the Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen and his expected contract negotiations. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Markkanen is a renegotiation and extension candidate to "keep an eye on" for the summer of 2024:

"Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is a renegotiation and extension candidate for next year to keep an eye on, from what I’ve heard. Currently, Markkanen is owed $17.3 million this upcoming season, and then only $6 million of his $18 million salary is guaranteed for the 2024-25 season...Next year’s [free agency] market isn’t looking any better talent-wise than what we just had this year. I think, especially after seeing them do this for Clarkson, I’d be surprised if they don’t do the same for Markkanen."

After the bulk of offseason starts comes to a close, forward-thinking to next summer is never a bad idea. Especially in the case of Lauri Markkanen, an extension to keep him in Salt Lake City should be the number one priority advancing into 2024.

The production we saw from Lauri in 2022-23 showcased that he was worth much more than his contract value would suggest. He’s coming off a season averaging career-highs in points (25.6), rebounds (8.6), and assists (1.9) on some outstanding efficiency (49.9/39.1/87.5). Of course, this is a player you would hope to keep on your team for as long as possible.

Signs are pointing in the right direction for the Jazz. Retaining Lauri Markkanen to a high-potential, young core consisting of the likes of Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Ochai Agbaji would make this one of the most alluring cores to have in the association.

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