Utah Jazz fans better be ready for what will be a prominent theme throughout the season: Lauri Markkanen trade rumors. The more the Jazz lose, the more his name will pop up in trade rumors. However, don't get it confused. The only way the Jazz would trade him is if they get a young centerpiece. One name who has come up in a potential Markkanen deal is Ausar Thompson.
NBA Insider Jake Fischer revealed that the Jazz have no plans to trade Markkanen, but if they did, and wanted to entertain a trade with the Detroit Pistons, Thompson would have to come back.
"Another likely obstacle that should be factored into the persistent Markkanen-to-Detroit speculation: Utah would almost certainly want Thompson in return. Sources say that the Jazz, in fact, considered trading up to select him during the 2023 NBA Draft," Fischer wrote.
Thompson is one of the NBA's rising stars. He has already shown himself to be one of the league's elite defenders at such a young age, while simultaneously showing he also has the ceiling to be a top-notch scorer too. That's the kind of player that a young team like the Jazz would love to have in a rebuild.
For that same reason, he's also a player the Pistons would obviously not want to give up, as the prevailing view is that he's a superstar in the making. The Jazz have no reason to settle for a Markkanen trade, just like the Pistons have no reason to trade one of the league's most exciting prospects. Especially when they are getting results.
There's some cruel irony in Fischer's intel
The Jazz clearly saw the vision with Thompson, but never got the chance to draft him. One can argue that them not getting the chance to can be primarily attributed to Markkanen's ascension with the Jazz in his first season with Utah.
Because the Jazz exceeded expectations when many thought they would be in the thick of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, they unfortunately played a little too well to help their odds of getting him or Wemby when it was all said and done. Granted, Dallas doing the same thing in a way didn't stop them from getting Cooper Flagg, but still, there's no telling where Utah would be if they had both Thompson and Markkanen on the same team right now.
Getting back to Fischer's intel, because Thompson is who the Jazz would target in a Markkanen trade gives a better idea of what any trade suitor should expect if they inquire about the Jazz star. Utah will only trade him if they get someone as promising as Thompson back. Simple as that.