Coming into the 2024-25 season, the Utah Jazz are trying to see just how good Lauri Markkanen is while hoping he's not good enough to interfere with their tanking plans. Because of that, no one knows what direction they actually plan to take in the long term.
If Markkanen proves (again) that he's too good to let the Jazz tank, they will have to consider whether the better plan is to build a better team around him rather than go all in on the tank. If they do that, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey proposed Trae Young as an "ambitious" trade target for the Jazz.
Bailey explained how the two sides could work out a trade and how good Young would be next to Markkanen.
"It has plenty of salary-matching contracts to get to Young's number. The Jazz have tons of draft capital to offer, too.
"And even if it may take a couple of years to build up a supporting cast worthy of title contention, a top two of Young and Markkanen would be one of the best offensive duos in the NBA," Bailey wrote.
So, if that doesn't happen and the Jazz are bad, trading for Young wouldn't be worth it, but if they continue to be the team they have been for the last two seasons, that's where this scenario gets interesting.
Bailey also acknowledged that for this to happen, the Jazz would have to go through yet another season in which they prove that they're too good to tank but too bad to make the playoffs.
This would have to come with other moves as well
Getting Young isn't a bad idea for the Jazz if it's clear that they will only improve and they believe that Markkanen is not worth giving up. Markkanen would benefit from having one of the league's best playmaking guards, and Young would benefit from having one of the very few hybrid stretch-fives who can create their own shot.
However, acquiring the former All-NBA guard will also mean they must get more star power because Markkanen and Young won't be enough alone. Such a trade adds more to the foundation, and putting Young with a coach like Will Hardy could do wonders for Young. Alas, those two together put the Jazz in the playoff race, and that's fine but not great.
As long as the Jazz don't give up too much for Young were he to become available, they should also try to see who else they can to put around those two. They would make one of the NBA's scoring duos without question, but the Jazz would have to choose carefully to put around them because, in the NBA (especially now), championship teams boast top-notch defenses.
Young brings a lot to the table, but defense is not one of his positive attributes. The Jazz would have to put not just competent defenders around him and Markkanen, but elites ones too to make this scenario work on the court.