The Utah Jazz had a garage sale on their veterans this offseason sans Lauri Markkanen. They sold John Collins and Collin Sexton for much less than they're worth, and straight up dumped Jordan Clarkson. This had many to believe that Lauri Markkanen is next, but not only is that not the case, there's a good case to be made that keeping Markkanen is a good move because of what it could do for the Jazz's youth.
Some would believe that Markkanen only gets in the way, but Wosny Lambre explained eloquently on "The Kevin O'Connor Show" why his staying a Jazzman is good for their young talent.
"This guy is a great player. The idea that you wouldn't want this guy next to your young guys who you're trying to rebuild around. I'm actually a believer that there should be a base level of competency, even as you're rebuilding. This idea that you hand out playing time to you as if it's like candy at Halloween... No, you should have to earn your playing time.
"And the only way to actually do that is to surround the young guys with competence, thereby making them have to compete for their playing time, and I think keeping Lauri Markkanen around is justifiable for that alone."
It's true. Not much motivates a young player better than knowing that there is a bar to clear. Markkanen's place on the roster not only gives the youth a veteran to look up to, but he also shows them that if they want to get minutes, they'll have to beat him to it.
Markkanen isn't coming off the best season with Utah, but the fact that there have been absolutely no rumors involving him for most of the offseason - which hasn't stopped trade proposals being floated left and right - shows Utah's confidence that he will be back to what he was before.
The question is if Utah will still believe Markkanen is a long-term piece
So while all indications are that Markkanen will be in Utah for at least next season for more reasons than simply what he can do on the floor, the Jazz will have to start asking themselves eventually if the best option is to keep Markkanen long term.
While keeping him around will likely be what's best to develop the youth properly, it may take a while for them to figure themselves out. There's no telling where Markkanen will be when they start to pop. If they start to outshine him in due time, then that would give the Jazz less incentive to keep him.
Of course, that's all hypothetical, but it is a possibility. Everyone should know by now that Utah is keeping its only star on the roster, but it may not be too drastic to float the idea that once the youth have properly developed, that might be the exact time they trade Markkanen.