When the Utah Jazz made the moves that they did this summer - getting rid of Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins - one question remained: What does this mean for Lauri Markkanen? Well, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said what everyone's thinking: the Jazz are building towards trading Markkanen away.
During his appearance on yesterday's NBA Today, Windhorst explained that Markkanen initially expected something different when he agreed to his extension last summer.
"From what I know and talking to people around him, his expectation was that he knew the Jazz were rebuilding, but he was expecting them to start powering up. What it looks like they’re doing here is powering to be chasing AJ Dybantsa in the draft next year."
Windhorst also clarified that Markkanen's trade value might not be that high after his most recent season with Utah, combined with what he's owed over the next four years.
"Markkanen didn’t have his best year last year. I don’t know if his value is as high as it was a year ago, when there were teams like the Golden State Warriors knocking on the Jazz’s door, but I gotta wonder what the future of Markkanen is. He’s got a bunch of money on his contract, like around 190 million over the next four years."
Because of the direction the Jazz are headed, Windhorst believes that the only resolution on the Jazz's end is to trade Markkanen.
“Not a clean and simple trade, but I gotta wonder if the Jazz aren’t going to be taking some calls if not now, certainly, into this season. Their actions indicate they’re not building towards a team around Lauri Markkanen. They're building around their young players and potentially their future draft picks going into next year.”
Wnidhorst is saying the quiet part out loud because, with the Jazz cleaning house, a Markkanen trade seemingly is on the horizon. The Jazz have talented youngsters that they want to develop with Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Walter Clayton Jr., among others. What would be the point in keeping Markkanen while developing those guys?
That doesn't mean it will be right away though.
Don't expect a Markkanen trade between now and Opening Night
As Windhorst said, Markkanen did not have the best season, so if Utah were to try to trade him now, odds are any interested suitor would lowball the team in a potential trade. That's why Markkanen will likely be on their roster on Opening Night so that the Jazz can rehab his value high enough to get a haul for him.
At the earliest, if the Jazz are going to trade Markkanen, expect a deal to happen around mid-season in early 2026. By then, they will have likely showcased him to any interested team while he looks like the All-Star they unexpectedly traded for back in 2022.
A common misconception is that tanking teams will always simply dump their veterans to embrace their rebuild. While that can and does happen - it has with the Jazz this offseason - it's not typically the case with All-Star players like Markkanen.
When teams that embrace a rebuild have players like him on the roster, they know that someone like Markkanen is a massive game-changer for anyone who wants to win. So, while that could get in the way of a rebuild, selling low will look dumb, as they could get more for him with patience.
While a Markkanen trade could happen, Utah's in no rush to get it done because they don't have to. They will be bad whether he's on the team or not. They'll trade him when they have an offer that gives them the right value. That offer might not be on the table right now, but Utah would be justified in giving him the chance to play well enough to get that kind of deal down the line.