The more Lauri Markkanen looks like a star again, the more trade value he has for the Utah Jazz. Even if the last we checked, the Jazz have every intention of keeping Markkanen, that won't stop the rumors from swirling. One team that recently been floated as a Markkanen destination is the Boston Celtics.
Shortly after the Jazz beat the team that won the title two years ago, Chris Mannix explained why Markkanen would fit well in Boston.
"He's averaging 30 and six right now on the season... Could you imagine Markkanen playing alongside Tatum and Brown for the next three years?... That's the guy I absolutely, positively love for the Celtics. And that's a guy that you know will probably be available at some point."
Mannix compared Markkanen to ex-Celtic Kristaps Porzingis. While there are some similarities, Markkanen isn't a rim protector and is much more dependable in terms of health than Porzingis is. He also brought up that Markkanen thrives in winning situations. As Jazz fans know, Markkanen has never been to the playoffs.
Nothing that Mannix says here is wrong about Markkanen's potential fit in Boston. Pairing a big man with the scoring finesse he has next to two of the best and most successful two-way wings would make Boston hard to stop (next season).
However, a trade with Boston wouldn't be so simple for Utah.
What would the Celtics have to offer for Markkanen?
The Celtics would have to match the salaries to acquire Markkanen's, which would be quite a doozy since he is set to earn over $46 million this season. Anfernee Simons' expiring deal holds some value (if the Jazz emphasize cap flexibility), but it would also require Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard just to make the deal work.
Also, if we're being realistic, the Jazz would probably demand Derrick White in the deal, someone Boston would be reluctant to give up. Boston also doesn't exactly have the most exciting young talent to offer Utah, but the team has all of its draft assets, as Brad Stevens has impressively built a title contender (previously) without giving up too many draft picks to form it.
Boston's salary cap is also above the NBA's first tax apron. While they can aggregate salaries, they can't take back more salary in any trade. That means the Jazz would potentially have to take more money in a Markkanen trade with the Celtics.
Even if that wasn't the case, do the Jazz want more draft assets when they already have plenty? At this stage, Utah wants the quality of its assets to improve, and having too many can be a problem when it starts to take building its next playoff team seriously (any trade partner may demand more assets than necessary when the opportunity arises).
Markkanen to the Celtics sounds exciting, but we're not even at the point where Markkanen becomes available, and if we were, the Jazz would definitely look elsewhere first before even considering taking a call from Stevens.