It's already been confirmed that the Utah Jazz are playing hard to get with trading Lauri Markkanen. While the Golden State Warriors are interested in him, they reportedly are playing hard to get with who the Jazz want in a trade - Brandin Podziemski.
The Athletic's Anthony Slater reported that the Warriors have no intention to trade Podziemski.
"I mean, they don't want to trade him," Slater said on 95.7 FM The Game. "He is beloved organizationally. They think he has winning qualities, and one of, I would say, the rare aspects of Podziemski compared to their other recent draft picks is not only, obviously, does the front office love the talent and draft him and want him to play, but the head coach as a rookie couldn't keep him off the floor.
"I mean, Steve Kerr's putting him in his best lineups last year. His plus-minus is great. He's raving about him as a rookie, so there is not much of an appetite for the Warriors to trade him."
Slater then added more details on where Podziemski goes as a trade asset. While he's not untouchable, he explained why both the Jazz and Warriors view him so highly.
"Now, again, if it comes down to a major trade, and he is the swing piece, sometimes you do have to give stuff up. We'll see. But yeah, they're not actively looking to move him. But part of the reason why he has an appeal... he's got three more years of very cheap money. He's just entering year two of a four-year rookie deal, and he was the 19th overall pick. That's really cheap labor in a lot of ways. But that's also why the Warriors want to protect him."
Could the Jazz & Warriors compromise in Lauri Markkanen trade?
The Jazz have made it clear that getting Markkanen will come with a hefty price. While Slater makes it sound like the Warriors won't simply discard Podziemski, he could be attainable. There could be a scenario where both parties get what they want.
It will all depend on how much of a compromise both sides are willing to make. Danny Ainge has a reputation for a stickler, so even though there's plenty of unexpected to be expected, expect this to drag on for as long as it can.
Because Danny Ainge is like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.
He. Doesn't. Bargain.