Hard to See Jazz Trading Lauri Markkanen Despite NBA Rumors
The Utah Jazz returned from their short road trip empty-handed after losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves. The pair of losses dropped the Jazz to 6-13 on the season, and they now find themselves in 13th place in a Western Conference.
With this poor start, NBA pundits around the league have started speculating that Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen could become available in a trade. The All-Star is still just 26 years old and is playing the best basketball of his career.
Markkanen is also on possibly the most team-friendly contract in the league that pays him just north of $17 million annually. For reference, he is the 95th highest-paid player in the NBA right now. On a Jazz team where he's head-and-shoulders better than his teammates, he's the third highest-paid guy.
Let’s be clear: Markkanen is going to get a big raise and possibly soon. While his contract has a team option for $18 million for the 2024-25 season, it seems like the Jazz want to lock him up to a more long-term pact sooner rather than later.
Looking at what the Sacramento Kings did with their All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis last summer could give us a blueprint of how the Jazz could go about this extension. A similar raise-and-extend situation could happen as soon as this summer.
I’m sure teams around the league will call the Jazz about Markkanen’s availability over the coming months — he’s such a valuable asset they would be crazy not to. At this point, it seems unlikely that the Jazz would choose to move on from him though.
Markkanen is in the midst of another All-Star-worthy season, averaging 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while maintaining his stellar efficiency. At 7-foot-0, he's one of the most unique athletes in the league.
Markkanen's rare mix of size and fluidity makes him extremely tough to stop around the basket. Throw in him being one of the premier three-point shooters in the league, and it’s hard to see how the Jazz could justify moving him.
For a Jazz team that is trying to build a championship-level foundation, trading Markkanen seems to contradict such a goal. It’s more reasonable to see the team trading away some of its ancillary pieces to open up minutes for this young core.
The long-term development of Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Ochai Agbaji, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh will hopefully give the Jazz some of the talent they’re so clearly lacking right now.
The Jazz are going to have avenues for improving the roster available to them. Trades, free agency, and maybe most importantly, the NBA draft will give the Jazz opportunities to put the pieces around Markkanen that will hopefully propel the team back to contention.
If the Jazz are unable to put those pieces around Markkanen, maybe it’ll be time to have a conversation about moving him. For now, the tea leaves point towards 'The Finnisher' having a long tenure with the Jazz.
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