The Utah Jazz got rid of what was basically left of their core veterans sans Lauri Markkanen this offseason. Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins were all basically dumped this summer, leaving Markkanen among the few veterans still on Utah's roster. Markkanen himself shared his honest thoughts on what it's been like to see the Jazz part ways with their other vets.
While talking with Antti-Jussi Sipila from the Finnish outlet Yle Puhe, Markkanen revealed how weird it is for him to see the trades the Jazz made while also revealing what it means for him.
(This was roughly translated from Finnish into English by Google Translate)
"You never know what trades will come, but we'll go with these. Every time you wake up to such trade news in the morning, it's a bit of a strange feeling," Markkanen said. "Then I always try to see how I can influence the success of the team in the next season. Of course, these trades increase my role."
This Jazz team has slowly turned into a very different one from the one he joined in 2022. No one thought he was going to take the mantle as the face of the Jazz's franchise, but he did while Clarkson and Mike Conley were still on the team.
Then, he had veterans to play with, like Kelly Olynyk, Rudy Gay, and Malik Beasley. Now he leads the youth movement to the point where many have questioned if he's a long-term fixture. However, something of note here is that Markkanen said his role will increase, and there's only one way that's possible even while he's expected to play a full minutes load next season.
With Markkanen sticking around, he might be counted on more as a leader
After the offseason the Jazz have had, it's fair to question whether Markkanen will be on the team next season. However, the most recent intel on that front indicates that the Jazz plan to keep Markkanen. Even if Utah is young, Markkanen is a special talent who has proven that it wouldn't be easy to give up on him.
That's why it isn't so easy to trade Markkanen just because. It's more likely than not that what Utah would receive in return for him wouldn't replace his value. The Jazz are seemingly aware of this, and because he's one of the few veterans that will still be on the roster, Utah may hope he will be a veteran leader for their young players.
He has been the Jazz's best player for the last three seasons, some of the other Jazz veterans have been that mentor voice in the locker room. While no one is saying Markkanen hasn't been a leader in the past, with not many veteran voices in the current locker room, the young players may turn to him now more than ever.
Even if the Jazz may not win that many games for the next year or so, Markkanen could play a role in whether the Jazz's youth movement will pay dividends in the near future.