It goes without saying now that Lauri Markkanen is staying with the Utah Jazz for the immediate future. Yahoo Sports! Jake Fischer confirmed as such via his X account on August 5.
All indications are Lauri Markkanen won’t sign any extension with Utah until after the day he becomes eligible to re-up with the Jazz tomorrow, league sources told @YahooSports, ruling the talented 27-year-old off the trade market for the 2024-25 season: https://t.co/VqfxRC1ehu
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) August 5, 2024
That's been the scuttlebutt for the last few days that it seems all but certain that Markkanen will be with the Jazz for at least another season. That doesn't mean that a trade isn't out of the question long-term, but one won't happen until next June.
Even so, ESPN's Bobby Marks outlined what Markkanen's situation with the Jazz looks like in full. While naming teams who were interested in Markkanen, he also named two other teams who haven't been linked to Markkanen, but he believes they could be in the near future.
"The Oklahoma City Thunder are worth keeping an eye on, simply because the stockpile of draft capital accumulated by general manager Sam Presti gives them the ability to outbid other teams. The Houston Rockets are another team with the assets to be aggressive in the trade market."
They make sense as trade partners. They have some promising young talent and they have the assets and cap flexibility to offer the Jazz for Markkanen. If all the rumors about Markkanen re-signing on August 7 are true, they would have to wait a while to make that deal happen.
In the Thunder's case, there have been proposed trade pitches where the Jazz get the Thunder's farm for Markkanen, but the Jazz evidently want young, established talent, and too many first-round picks can actually be a problem if there are no established stars to acquire for them. The Jazz aren't in that position yet, and it might be a while before they do.
Marks also listed teams who were connected to Markkanen
Marks' words on the Thunder and Rockets are speculation, but Markkanen had a market during the offseason, and it's pretty easy to understand why. Not only is he 27, an All-Star, and a stretch big who can create his own shot, but the $18 million he's owed makes him very cheap.
Marks revealed who had interest in him, starting with the one team everyone knows wanted him.
"The Golden State Warriors have been the most aggressive suitor for Markkanen, but Utah and Golden State have not come close to getting a deal done."
Marks then revealed two other suitors for Markkanen and explained why talks broke down with the Jazz.
"The San Antonio Spurs had preliminary discussions before the NBA draft in June with the Jazz about a deal that would pair Markkanen with 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, but those talks did not gain any traction. The Kings also showed interest in a Markkanen trade, but Sacramento moved on to making a sign-and-trade deal to acquire DeMar DeRozan."
This is definitely something worth looking into later on, but it's also something to keep on the backburner because Markkanen won't be trade eligible for a while.