There weren't that many Lauri Markkanen trade rumors this summer. That's primarily because Markkanen is coming off an injury-plagued season where his numbers dipped, which coincided with his fat new contract extension. Of course, the narrative on him has flipped a bit because of his EuroBasket tournament, which, if continued with the Utah Jazz, could make him the top trade candidate this coming season.
Zach Lowe discussed this on his show when recapping some of the hottest storylines going on in the NBA at the moment. He outlined how Markkanen's resurgence could lead to him being the hottest name on the trade market.
"Team Finland Lauri Markkanen, oh my God, he's back. And if that guy shows up in Utah for the first few months of the season... the writing's on the wall. If that dude rebuilds his trade value, because he's got a big contract over a lot of years, he is the most interesting trade candidate in the NBA in three, four months *if* this continues and if Utah loses as much as I would expect them to lose," Lowe said.
Markkanen looking like this for the Jazz this coming season should make Utah infinitely more fun to watch after the catastrophe the fans had to spectate last season. The Jazz will likely be bad anyway due to their youth and the strength of the West, but fans will at least get a show from him. But, Lowe is correct in the fact that if he returns to form, there will be much attention on whether the Jazz plan to keep him.
Even if the Jazz make it clear that Markkanen isn't available, the circumstances will only make the rumors stay alive and well because teams will want him (should he return to form) and the Jazz will be bad enough for everyone to think it makes sense.
Markkanen may be getting paid like a mega star, but playoff contenders will want unique players like him because of what he brings to the table. His versatility and the matchup problems he creates as a scorer would make a contender very excited about their prospects.
This is why the Jazz paid good money to keep Markkanen
It's been mentioned multiple times now that Markkanen looking more like his old self again will fuel trade rumors. No matter how the situation shakes out, it proves Utah was right to extend him for the price that the team did.
Even though there's a fair case to be made that the Jazz are better off capitalizing on his trade value while they still can, there's also a good case for them to keep him to see if he can lead their next playoff team. Even if hypothetical playoff team may not come to fruition for another few years.
After the last NBA season Markkanen had in Utah, many were skeptical of the Jazz's decision to give him a massive, long-term raise. Well, it's taken only a week or so for the Jazz star to prove just how wrong the skeptics were on that front!