A Kevin Durant trade feels inevitable this offseason. No, he's not going to the Utah Jazz, but no matter where he ends up, there's a strong chance the Suns won't get better than 50 cents on the dollar for him. If that's the case, it could badly hurt the Jazz in trade negotiations if they're serious about trading Lauri Markkanen this offseason.
There has been confirmation that Markkanen is among the Jazz players who will be put in trade conversations. As to how serious they are about doing so, we'll see in the coming weeks or perhaps months. It's pretty clear that between him and Durant, it's the latter who's getting traded first.
And that could be a problem for Utah. Despite how impressively good Durant still is, what hurts Phoenix in trade negotiations is, one, how expensive his deal is, two, how much longer he'll be in his prime is in question, and three, his contract will expire next year. Teams don't give up that much for someone with those concerns, even if they're in talks to get an all-timer like Durant.
Even with all of that, he's still considered a better player than Markkanen and has higher trade value than him because, well, he's still Kevin Durant, all things considered. If the Suns get underwhelming value for him, any Jazz trade partner who wants Markkanen could use that against them in talks.
If Durant doesn't fetch much back for Phoenix, trade partners will likely use that to set the bar for what they would give to Utah for Markkanen. If the bar is that low, it may convince Utah to keep Markkanen for at least the start of the 2025-26 season.
Markkanen is almost a decade younger and has more years of his prime left, but Durant is an all-timer whose decline is going at a snail's pace, who somehow can be had for much less than what he's worth right now.
Whether the Jazz are serious about trading Markkanen this summer or not, it could be a rough market out there. When the inevitable Durant trade happens, it could make it worse.
Jazz insider reiterates Jazz see Markkanen as a cornerstone
The Athletic's Tony Jones clarified almost a week ago that the Jazz will not trade Markkanen unless they get good value from him because they see him as part of their future. He re-clarified this stance on June 9 when asked about Markkanen's current trade value.
I might have to pin this answer at this point but here’s the answer
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 9, 2025
The Utah Jazz believe Lauri Markkanen can be a central figure on their next good team, therefore he is a part of their future https://t.co/rkwVvHxmwG
If the market for him isn't all that strong, it might not be a big deal for the team since they're not exactly itching to get rid of him in the first place. Players like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and John Collins might be on the table, and that's because their ceilings are being impactful rotation players but not stars.
Markkanen is different in that regard (Off-topic: So is Walker Kessler) because he is an All-Star at the top of his game without question. He is also a rare type of player: a seven-footer who can space the floor and create his own shot easily and play three positions. Because NBA teams are trying to save money, some may think he doesn't hold much value but he does.
Markkanen might not get the Jazz as much value back for him as the Suns would for Durant, but intel would demonstrate that Utah might not mind that so much since the plans are to keep him.