The Utah Jazz have been linked with multiple teams in trade talks for their scoring forward Lauri Markkanen, most notably the Golden State Warriors. Negotiations go from warm to cold in every news report, and there is much discussion on if the Jazz should trade their young star. Here is the case for why the Jazz should choose Markkanen.
He is a proven talent
Nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, and Markkanen has already shown his ability as an All-Star. The design of a typical NBA rebuild is to tear everything down, identify pieces to build around, and then determine the right supporting cast to open your championship window. Markkanen is that building block.
The Jazz don't have other major pieces to build around just yet, so trading Markkanen would restart their rebuild, extending the start of their potential window till nearly the end of the decade. Even if they were the worst team in the NBA next year without Markkanen, the lottery makes no promises on the top pick. Just ask the Detroit Pistons.
He's a 7-footer
The NBA has witnessed an evolution in recent years, moving from the small ball era popularized by the Warriors dynasty towards the need for a dominant offensive big man. The last two NBA Champions featured 7-footers who could stretch the floor and be a force on the offensive end of the court like Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis.
Markkanen can be viewed as a Porzingis lite at this point in his career, a stretch 5 who has an offensive skillset with some rim-protecting skills that can be refined. He's also European, like the aforementioned big men, so maybe there is something to having a European 7-footer in the NBA.
He hasn't hit his ceiling yet
Lauri Markkanen is just beginning to hit his prime, and still growing into a complete basketball player. He is younger than Jokic and Porzingis and doesn't have the talent around him that those guys do. His offensive efficiency stats are the highest they've ever been over the last 2 years, and that's with him being the only true offensive threat the Jazz have night in and night out.
The Jazz have been pretty quiet this free agency, and if they want to keep Lauri, they need to capitalize on his prime, and go get him a supporting cast, to open their championship window.