It's not up for debate how good Lauri Markkanen has been during the EuroBasket tournament. So much so to the point that the Utah Jazz should fully expect a return to form season from him. If he does, the Jazz have to prepare themselves for a season full of Markkanen trade rumors.
At this point, Markkanen's dominance has been so obvious that it almost seems inevitable that the Jazz will get the version of him they saw from 2022 to 2024. However, everyone knows the Jazz are still going to tank with most of their focus being on developing their young talent.
Because Markkanen's impending resurgence will be on a team that will be nowhere near the playoffs, pending any surprises, this will lead to plenty of trade rumors involving Markkanen. While the Finnisher might not be a franchise player, he is a game changer for a playoff team looking for that extra push.
That will be an exciting prospect, but the Jazz have made it clear this offseason that they're not trading Markkanen, and if any of their young players look like they are franchise players in the making, that will give them less incentive to trade their lone star.
Even so, this is how it works in the NBA. The stars who would make sense to be traded on paper will pop up in rumors. It likely won't be leaked from anyone on Utah's side but rather teams who will have interest in him.
Other fanbases will wonder Utah wouldn't want to part ways with a player who doesn't fit their timeline, and the answer is simple. With how good Markkanen is when he's thriving, it's far from guaranteed that they will get another player as good as he is.
The irony is, the Jazz got Markkanen in the Donovan Mitchell deal back when Markkanen wasn't considered a star. He's not as good as Mitchell was at his peak in Utah, but he's pretty close. More importantly, that was by pure luck. There's no guarantee if the same would happen if they did the same with Markkanen.
But how patient will Markkanen be?
Odds are Markkanen will finish this season with Utah, and they will be one of the worst teams in the NBA. While he is signed on for the next four years, it may be challenging for him to tolerate losing for so long.
Every star has their limit. It's why so many have speculated about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee. They can only tolerate so much losing before they either ask out or leave in free agency. Markkanen has not given any signal that he wants off the Jazz, but there's only so much time before he grows tired of it.
There will be empty trade rumors this coming season involving Markkanen, but they may not be so empty if the Jazz plan to tank in 2027.