Lauri Markkanen's value to the Utah Jazz has allegedly been revealed and we agree with it

If you have to ask if your team can afford Lauri Markkanen's services, then your team can't.
San Antonio Spurs v Utah Jazz
San Antonio Spurs v Utah Jazz / Alex Goodlett/GettyImages
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Your favorite team can't afford Lauri Markkanen. Let's just start there. Markkanen, the Utah Jazz's best player, star forward, and featured player int he offense, is likely not going to go anywhere. The Jazz seemed committed to not only extending Markkanen but also adding people around him.

If the Jazz land a star or two around Markkanen, it's likely that as soon as they can, they'll extend the Finnish superstar. This would be great news for fans of the Utah Jazz, as the fandom is ready to start pushing for the NBA Championship. They want to see their team competing again, pushing deeper and deeper into the playoffs. Not discussing what lottery pick they hope falls to them.

So it should help soothe the Jazz community to hear that the team isn't taking anything less than what they got for Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell.

In a recent article from the Athletic, they suggest trading Markkanen to the Detroit Pistons for Jaden Ivey, Jalen Durant, and their 2024 first-round pick. A trade that James L. Edwards thinks is enough to land the man dubbed The Finnisher, but Danny Ainge isn't budging. According to Jazz beat writer Tony Jones in the same article, the Jazz want four first-round picks for Markkanen before even continuing the trade discussion, saying;

"So, if there was an interest-meter scale from one to 100, this would hardly register a one to the Utah Jazz. ...In a big picture, Markkanen’s value to the Jazz is so great that it’s going to take an offer that is probably not going to come to pry him from the Jazz. Something like four or five first-round picks, and a star-level talent coming over. ...So, if you are the Pistons, unless Cade Cunningham and four first-round picks is the offer, don’t expect the Jazz to stay on the phone for very long."

Now, Jones isn't suggesting the Pistons trade Cunningham to the Jazz, but that's their only player of true value on the roster. He does make mention that the guys being suggested in the trade are good, just not what the Jazz are looking for. Which is true.

Now, the reason why this hypothetical needs to be mentioned is because Jones has sources. He knows, to an extent, what the Jazz are thinking and how their valuing players. If he says the Jazz won't negotiate without four first-round picks, then you should probably take him at his word.

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