With the NBA Summer League complete, the Utah Jazz now move to the slow part of the offseason, the 'dog days' of summer, as it were. When they invite players to training camp on 'prove it' deals, open roster spots in advance of the regular season, and ponder possible trades.
The surprising summer league performance of Kyle Filipowski, winning the MVP award in Las Vegas, begs the question: Is Filipowski ready to start in the frontcourt? Or at least get significant minutes in the 2025-26 season?
And if so, what does that mean for former Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen, who is best suited at the four spot?
Last season, the Jazz were reluctant to play Filipowski and Markkanen together, especially in lineups with Walker Kessler (zero minutes). They played the two together with John Collins for only 99 minutes total, so it seems that Will Hardy will not or cannot play them together.
With Filipowski needing more minutes, and Markkanen's value likely to decrease if his minutes do, the Jazz have a decision to make.
While the Jazz have given no indications publicly that they are looking into a Markkanen trade, the current makeup of the team indicates it will be a long time before the Jazz are competing for the play-in and the playoffs, let alone being a contender in the crowded Western Conference.
Markkanen's value could increase with a bounce-back season this year. It could also get worse, especially if he gets hurt or his minutes decrease with all of the young guys on the roster that need minutes.
As a result, the Utah Jazz need to seriously look into the possibility of a Markkanen trade before his value declines further, which is highly likely if Kyle Filipowski gets a bigger role this year and starts to eat away at Markkanen's minutes at the four spot.
While the offers won't be as high as a year ago, getting an expiring contract or two and a future draft asset is still possible in a Markkanen deal with the right trading partner.
The secret key to the Utah Jazz rebuild
If the Utah Jazz are truly invested in building from the ground up, with a youthful team that will reach its peak on the same timeline, then Kyle Filipowski makes more sense than Lauri Markkanen right now and moving forward.
Filipowski is more affordable ($3.0 million per year through 2027-28), while Markkanen
($46.3 million) accounts for over 30% of the Jazz's total payroll for the upcoming season.
While nobody is saying that Kyle Filipowski is on the level of Lauri Markkanen yet, he could follow a similar path and be a Most Improved Player contender with a much bigger role than a year ago.
Trading Markkanen would also allow the Jazz to clear a runway for rookie Ace Bailey to become the Jazz star of the future, with all of the shot attempts and minutes he needs to develop quickly in his first NBA season. Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks will also contend for bigger roles in a lineup where Markkanen's minutes and shot attempts are absent, which will be vital to their growth.
Having the two frontcourt positions and the center spot clarified allows the Jazz to focus on sorting out the backcourt rotation, where questions remain. Thus, the Jazz should seriously consider what their plans are for Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski, especially since other teams' rotations are still in flux and they are open to a deal.