Zach Lowe Has Bold Prediction on Lauri Markkanen’s Jazz Future

With just over a month to go until next NBA season kicks off, Lauri Markkanen will be heading into his fourth season with the Utah Jazz after being dealt their way three summers ago, and since developing into an All-Star-caliber player, along with one of the better international stars we have in today's game.

However, in the mind of The Ringer's Zach Lowe, when taking a step back to look at the state of the NBA, he feels that this season could very well be Markkanen's last on the Jazz's roster.

"I mean, the more I just look at the league landscape and zoom out and talk to people... I can't imagine a scenario where Lauri Markkanen is on the Jazz in a year," Lowe said on The Zach Lowe Show (26:37). "He just has to be looking around at this team and be like, 'What? What happened? Who are these people? This is the team I'm on now?"

Markkanen, who's rolling into what'll be his age-28 season, still has yet to make the playoffs since being drafted in the league. Now, he'll be on a Jazz team that looks vastly different from when he arrived in Salt Lake City back in 2022.

In fact, only one other player from Markkanen's first season with the Jazz remains on their current roster for 2025: Walker Kessler.

So it's a much different setting that Markkanen will be walking into for year four than it was for year one. However, when looking ahead to this season, the Jazz are only expected to lose more games, have a prime focus on their lottery odds, and likely act as Markkanen's ninth-straight year without a playoff appearance.

Markkanen has continued to remain patient throughout the Jazz's rebuilding efforts, and has stuck committed both vocally and financially to be a part of that process. But will that mindset shift over the course of another losing season?

It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibilities, which then opens the door for that long-awaited trade to be in play.

Mar 2, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (center) looks on from the bench during the second half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Lowe also points out the mistake Utah might have made by not making a Markkanen deal sooner–– considering how his most recent season transpired to inevitably sink his trade value a bit compared to where that stood last summer.

"There's also a world in which Utah blew this situation by not trading him, and then he kind of forced their hand a little bit by not signing a deal until a date at which he was not tradeable last season," Lowe continued "But the deal is huge, $46 million this year, through 2029, where it's $53 and a half million. And he missed half of last season with some injuries, with some tankery."

"I have, like, 10 teams on my list. I've talked to a lot of people.  Everybody loves Lauri Markkanen. He's an easy fit anywhere. They don't love the contract, and they're just, like, we've got to see him sort of play his way back into that level of value.  EuroBasket helped. He was just destroying people in EuroBasket."

The dominant version of EuroBasket Markkanen we saw this month could be a sign of things to come this season. And if so, that could lift his trade value enough to see teams around the league offer some intriguing packages the Jazz's way for the chance at finally taking that swing.

Or, the Jazz could continue to go down the road they've remained committed to up to this point, which keeps Markkanen in the building as a key piece of their future endeavors, rather than a trade chip waiting to be cashed in on despite much speculation.

Only time will tell how the Markkanen saga continues in Utah, but for now, expect Markkanen to be back in the facility and ready to go for another year with the Jazz as training camps tip off at the end of September.

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