Because the Utah Jazz are expected to be bad this season, while Lauri Markkanen is expected to be good, plenty of trade rumors will persist this season. The Jazz have not wavered from their stance that he will stick around, but many will believe a trade is inevitable. Whether one happens or not, Markkanen hasn't gotten enough credit for being a good soldier throughout the Jazz's process when his fellow NBA star contemporaries have frequently done the opposite.
For context, we've seen NBA stars ask out the minute things go south with their current situation. They may be justified in feeling that way, but what makes it worse is when one agrees to a massive contract extension only to then ask out a year or two later. In essence, they waited until they got paid to only then decide they wanted a change of pace.
Basically, they want it both ways in getting paid and playing for a winner.
Kevin Durant did this. So did Damian Lillard. Ben Simmons notoriously did this, and new Jazzman Kevin Love did this way back when during his Cleveland days during their post-LeBron era. But Markkanen hasn't, which shows a lot about his true character.
Even as Utah has gotten younger, which by proxy has led to them getting gradually worse since they first acquired him in 2022, there hasn't been one peep about him having any issues with the franchise. Their rebuild may very well come at the expense of his prime never being used on a winning team, but that hasn't phased him at all.
Many will clamor for Markkanen to leave as the team continues its rebuild, but it is a fresh change of pace to see that he's not one of them.
There's also a good reason why Markkanen hasn't asked out
It is awesome to see that Markkanen's loyalty to Utah has not faltered at all. That makes him the exception to the norm when it comes to how NBA All-Stars typically respond to playing in bad situations when they are in their prime. However, one explanation for why this is the case is that Utah gave Markkanen the chance to sprout when he never had the chance before.
There's no telling where his career would be right now if he had never been traded to the Jazz in the first place. Markkanen wasn't a scrub, but before Utah acquired him, everyone had lost faith in his All-Star potential despite him showing flashes earlier in his career. Once the Jazz got their hands on him, he finally had the chance to prove himself.
Not only that, but the Jazz gave Markkanen a massive payday when, not too long beforehand, he was struggling to find suitors during his restricted free agency in 2021. Between helping him become a star and giving him a max extension, Utah has given Markkanen every reason to stay loyal to them.
Things may change by this season or afterward, but it is nice to see Utah receive some loyalty from a star for a change.