What’s going on with Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors?
LAS VEGAS — You’ve heard the rumors, you’ve heard national NBA analysts discuss it over and over, you’ve heard about it on the radio, podcasts, TV, and in stories from outlets across the country — Lauri Markkanen is the most talked about NBA trade target of this offseason.
But how real is what you’ve been hearing? And, what are the important factors to understand? That’s what we are here to talk about today.
Why are the Jazz shopping Lauri Markkanen?
Well, they aren’t.
I think it’s important to reiterate something that I’ve been saying for months: The Jazz don’t want to trade Lauri Markkanen. They would prefer to keep him and have him be a part of what the Jazz build in the future. They love Markkanen, and they are as excited about his potential as everyone else.
But that’s the thing ... everyone else is also interested in his potential. There are 29 NBA teams that would be interested in acquiring Markkanen. He’s really, really good. The Jazz front office can’t stop the rest of the league from knowing how good Markkanen is.
Of those 29 interested teams, there are a handful that have made legitimate inquiries regarding Markkanen, and of those handful of teams, the Golden State Warriors are the team that has had the most substantial conversations with the Jazz regarding what a trade package would have to look like.
The Jazz front office is completely willing to listen to what teams have to offer and they are clear in their stance — they don’t want to trade Markkanen, unless they receive an offer that makes it too hard to say no.
So, what would it take for a team to pry Markkanen away from the Jazz? Picks, picks, picks and young players.
More specifically, the Jazz want high-value picks and players that fit the Jazz’s rebuilding timeline. The Warriors can only offer two fully unprotected picks (due to other deals they’ve made) along with other pick swaps and a pick with protections. The young players on the Warriors roster that the Jazz would want (Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski) are likely the ones that the Warriors would prefer to keep around for their own future.
To this point, the Jazz have not received an offer that they are ready to jump at. They still like Markkanen.
Keep an eye on Aug. 6
One of the things that has probably held teams back from making even more generous offers on Markkanen is the fact that he is heading into the final year of his deal, after which he will be a free agent. He’d be more valuable after an extension, for everyone involved. But Markkanen can not sign an extension until Aug. 6.
But this date is important, not just because it marks when Markkanen is extension eligible. After Markkanen signs on the dotted line, agreeing to extension contract terms, he can not be traded for six months. The 2024-25 trade deadline is Feb. 6, exactly six months out from Aug. 6, which means that if Markkanen does not reach terms on an extension on the first day he is eligible, he cannot be traded prior to the 2025 offseason.
Flexibility in these situations is really important to the Jazz, so Markkanen will have a lot of power on Aug. 6, which could net him a bigger paycheck.
Markkanen loves Utah, the Jazz love him and there are many reasons to believe that he could stay with the Jazz long term. It will ultimately depend on if Markkanen signs an extension on Aug. 6, how bad another team wants Markkanen, and if they are willing to offer the Jazz something they can’t refuse.
