Every offseason, there’s a surprise star who becomes available. This summer, that person is Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who’s coming off the first All-Star appearance of his career.
Under perfect circumstances, the Jazz would hold onto the 27-year-old sharpshooter. But their inability to reach the playoffs each of the past two seasons places them in a world of uncertainty in an ever-increasingly competitive Western Conference.
So, the Jazz are reportedly open to taking trade offers for their franchise cornerstone, who’s entering the final year of his contract. Markkanen won’t be eligible to sign an extension until Aug. 6, when his market is expected to be even stronger than it is now. The reason is teams are a bit hesitant to offer a massive bounty of assets for a player who could leave as a free agent next summer. But if Markkanen is locked up for the next few years, teams may be more willing to cough up their most precious pieces.
For now, the expectation is that the Jazz will hold onto Markkanen, but that hasn’t prevented teams from trying to make an offer too good for Utah to refuse. But which teams are still focused on adding one of the best power forwards in the NBA?
Golden State Warriors pushing hard for Lauri Markkanen trade
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Golden State Warriors haven’t given up in their pursuit of adding another star. In fact, they’ve been the team that’s chasing after a Markkanen trade the most.
“The Golden State Warriors have been the most engaged team for Markkanen in recent weeks, as league sources tell The Athletic they have discussed a proposal around Moses Moody, multiple first-round picks, multiple pick swaps and multiple second-round picks. The Jazz, however, have asked for the bulk of young talent and capital the Warriors possess, including Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, along with picks, which has been a non-starter thus far for Golden State, league sources said.”
The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Golden State Warriors pursuing Lauri Markkanen trade
Previous reports suggested the Warriors balked at trading last year’s first-round selection, Brandin Podziemski. Shams notes that is still true. Yet, according to Steve Kerr, all Warriors players not named Steph Curry have had their names involved in trade discussions this summer. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Warriors have been the team bringing up Podziemski or Kuminga during trade talks.
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