While trading Lauri Markkanen feels like the most sensible move for the Utah Jazz, Markkanen continues to voice his loyalty to the Jazz and the state of Utah. Factoring in how good Markkanen can be - he's coming off a down year - and that his undying allegiance to everything Utah, it's not that easy from sentiment alone.
Factor in his expensive contract, and the prospect of trading him isn't as straightforward as it once was. Still, now that he is officiallt trade-eligible again, plenty of rumors are going to pop up this offseason.
None have come up since the season just ended, but hey, the season just ended, and the only teams whose seasons are over may not necessarily be looking for a veteran star like Markkanen. At least not now.
We'll get a better picture once the lottery happens and teams know what they want to do. If a Markkanen trade were to manifest, it would likely be in a few months at the earliest. Still, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey proposed a trade that would send Markkanen to a team technically in a similar draft position as the Jazz.
He proposed the Jazz send Markkanen to the New Orleans Pelicans in the following trade.
Pelicans get: Markkanen
Jazz get: CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
Bailey doesn't really explain why the Jazz would make this trade, outside of swapping Markkanen for McCollum giving the Jazz "near-term flexibility." He went on explain why the Jazz may trade Markkanen period.
"He's now nearly 28 years old. Utah doesn't have a cornerstone-level talent to build around. And even if it did, he would probably be in his 30s by the time that player was ready to start contending at a high level.
"So cashing in now, even if his value isn't quite as high as it was 12 months ago, may make some sense."
The rationale makes sense, and this trade is honestly not that bad if getting some cap flexibility and draft assets is what the Jazz would prioritize the most in a Markkanen trade. However, a little more sweetener could make this a better deal.
How New Orleans could sweeten the deal
Honestly, the Jazz have enough draft capital. They know that, which is precisely why they sacrificed some of it for better draft assets in their trade with the Phoenix Suns. They don't want the most assets. They want the best.
Two first-round picks from the Pelicans is a solid return, but if say the Pelicans wind up the No. 6 or No. 7 pick in the draft, they might be more inclined to use that asset to get a star like Markkanen. The Pelicans have a solid core of players that could honestly get even better if Markkanen was on the team.
Their only problem is they can't stay healthy. If all it cost for them to get Markkanen was those matching contracts and a top-10, non-top-five lottery pick in a loaded draft to do it, it would be hard for both sides to say no.
Utah intended to be in place they're at now. New Orleans did not. This kind of trade ensures one team stays where they want to be while the other does not.
Grade: B, but could be pushed to an A if the Jazz manage to get a high lottery pick from New Orleans for Markkanen.