The Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz have had very little to do with each other this season, if not, nothing. It's hard to recall a time when they ever did have much to do with each other, but with the Magic trending downward and the Jazz trending upward, one can't help but wonder where the Jazz would be right now if the Magic got their hands on Lauri Markkanen back in 2021.
For the record, Markkanen has never been on the Magic's radar, but there came a time when he could have been. Back in 2021, Orlando was going through a full-scale teardown, which included trading Nikola Vucevic to Chicago. Know who was on that Bulls roster? Markkanen.
Evidenced by his complicated free agency that ended with Markkanen getting jettisoned to Cleveland - here's to hoping Utah doesn't follow too similar of a path with Walker Kessler as the Bulls did with Markkanen- Chicago wasn't too keen on keeping Markkanen around. Because his value wasn't that high at the time, the Magic weren't too interested in him either.
But they made that trade hoping to start building a future, as they acquired primarily Wendell Carter. Jr. and two first-round picks. Since the Magic were starting over, what could it have hurt to take Markkanen for their troubles?
In hindsight, they absolutely should have, given how good Markkanen has become and how much uncertainty is going on with them after what's been a pretty underwhelming performance. There's no telling where the Magic would be if, hypothetically, they somehow managed to get him along with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but there's no telling if that would have been the case.
But where would Utah be?
Markkanen going to Orlando means Cleveland would have had to send someone else to Utah to get a trade for Donovan Mitchell done. Markkanen was thrown in primarily just to make the money work, but of course, he proved to be more than just that.
Utah would have blown it up anyway, even if Markkanen wasn't on the table, which could have put them right in the race for Victor Wembanyama, as Markkanen's ascension got in the way of that. They would have started their all-out tank much earlier, and maybe they could have gotten their hands on Victor Wembanyama with any luck.
But that's neither here nor there. What is inarguable is that the Jazz's last four seasons would definitely be different if Markkanen hadn't been on the team.
Would Markkanen have made his All-Star leap to Orlando?
Markkanen is indisputably a late bloomer. Before he came to Utah, he showed signs of being something special, but never quite figured himself out. With late bloomers, it takes the right coach and the right role to finally put it together.
Would Markkanen have gotten that same opportunity in Orlando? They were starting a new chapter at the time, which is how they got Banchero and Wagner, but Markkanen's ascension likely would have gotten in the way of that. There's no telling if that would have happened, as part of Markkanen's ascension was the work he did back home in Finland and Cleveland before he exploded in Utah.
Markkanen being traded to Orlando may have impacted Utah more than it would have impacted Orlando itself. Maybe in some twisted way, he would have found his to the Jazz regardless. The butterfly effect is a chaotic theory, which is why the Jazz's current state could be so much different if the Magic got their hands on Markkanen before they did.