There's only been one time when the Utah Jazz thought about trading Lauri Markkanen: 2024, and they made it clear that any interested teams would have had to offer the moon for him. The deal the Jazz got for Walker Kessler was more or less what they wanted for Markkanen, if not more so in the latter's case.
Golden State didn't oblige, a decision that has looked even worse over time. But since then, there has been no intel suggesting Markkanen is available. Only proposed trades. That won't stop the speculation though.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz named Markkanen among the NBA's "sneaky trade candidates" coming into this season. The rationale is sound.
"A core of Peterson, Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Jackson are all 26 or younger. Markkanen, meanwhile, will turn 30 next spring and doesn't fit the timeline of this group. He's also taking a starting spot away from Peterson or Bailey, the two players with the highest ceilings on this team," Swartz wrote.
The Jazz just traded Kessler in part because they knew they couldn't keep the core of him and the others because of the cap limitations. Doing so makes it so that Markkanen can be a Jazzman for longer.
Even if that wasn't the case, Markkanen is not only the Jazz's best player, but he's been waiting some time for this moment. He finally broke through for Utah in Year 6, and will finally be on a playoff team in Year 11. There's no need to end this before it even started.
Utah has every reason to explore what they have with Markkanen as their best player on a team now vying for the playoffs.
But Markkanen could be available a few years from now
This Jazz team has an insane amount of talent both ready now and in the future. However, they know darn well that they can't pay Markkanen, JJJ, George, Peterson, and Bailey if they all live up to their potential.
As Swartz brought up earlier, Markkanen is the oldest of their best players. If he can keep up his All-Star play as he ages into his 30s, there's no reason for him to take a discount if he doesn't have to. Utah could play hardball with him or they may try to trade him before his next contract situation becomes a problem.
If that's the case, Markkanen would be a hot commodity on the trade market. It's not like the Jazz would have much issue finding a taker. But this is something that fans should be aware of if they're not already.
Add us as a preferred source on Google