Bleacher Report proposes a terrible trade between the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Utah Jazz have a star in Lauri Markkanen. He's a Top 25 player at worst and has put together two fantastic scoring seasons with the Utah Jazz. One saw him make the All-Star team and the other should've seen him make the All-Star team. He's the centerpiece of the Jazz's team going forward and he could and should be seen as the guy to build around.

Yet, that hasn't stopped everyone and everyone from mocking up their own fantasy trade scenarios for him. In the latest one from Bleacher Report, they propose the Jazz trade Markkanen back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team they acquired him from originally.

In the Bleacher Report article, they suggest Markkanen going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, and the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. A poultry haul for such a major player.

The fact of the matter is simple, the Cavaliers don't have enough capital for Markkanen. Say what you want about Mobley, but he isn't the player he was pitched to be. Everyone said he was the next Tim Duncan and he isn't even the next Jaren Jackson Jr. Offensively, he's so limited, that he's not worth a lottery pick on his own anymore.

Then you attach Isaac Okoro to the trade, a great defensive player but a bust of a player for sure, and you think that's enough? Yes, the Jazz need defense, and Okoro as an option on his own isn't bad. But you're talking a second-round pick for the guy, not Markkanen.

Then you have the 20th overall pick, which may as well be the 50th pick overall, as you're unlikely to actually hit on significant players at that point in the draft. Yes, there are some gems every now and then, but for the most part, the lottery is where you want to be.

Sure you could try to couple the three later picks to move up, but that's still not enough. You'd need at least two more first-round picks to make this work.

Mobley just isn't turning into the player many hoped he would. Maybe that's because of JB Bickerstaff, after all, Bickerstaff held back Markkanen in Cleveland. It's fair to say he's probably doing the same to Mobley. That said, we're not risking the future of the Jazz on the possibility that Mobley is better than he appears in Cleveland.