Why Lauri Markkanen's extension makes Jazz's plans all the less confusing

Lauri Markkanen seemed destined for a trade just a month ago, but the Utah Jazz refused to let him go for anything less than their exorbitant asking price. Now he's been signed to a long-term deal with no opportunities for trade until next offseason.

This has caused a big divide among Jazz fans, with some believing he should have been traded while others believing the Jazz made the right decision to establish a member of their core. Some even speculate he will be a big player in trade talks next offseason, but this is absolutely not the case.

If the Jazz wanted to trade him, this was the offseason they would have found a way to offload him. He is part of the Jazz's rebuild plan. He's just a year early, so even if it may sound confusing at first, here's the Jazz's plan for this year and beyond, with Lauri Markkanen as their centerpiece.

The tank is on, even with Lauri

The Jazz are targeting this season as their final year of tanking before assembling their core. The 2025 draft has some high potential talent at the top of the class, that the Jazz want a piece of. Cooper Flagg, Nolan Traore, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and VJ Edgecombe are all players the Jazz would absolutely want as part of their core, especially Flagg.

But how do the Jazz plan on tanking with the signing of Lauri Markkanen and even more recently, Patty Mills? Two words: load management.

Expect Markkanen to have some lingering lower-body injuries throughout the season that remain vague and always seem to be nagging, preventing him from playing in back-to-backs or against some weaker Eastern Conference teams who are also in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. If he were to get a more serious injury, expect him to take the maximum possible time to recover from that injury. It would be no surprise if Markkanen got a 24 million dollar raise this season to take it as easy as possible.

Patty Mills is an easy one to explain away. He isn't there to contribute majorly but rather is the veteran presence in the locker room to help the Jazz's young guys learn and develop. Kyle Filipowski, Cody Williams, Keyonte George, and others will look to Mills for guidance in their very young NBA journey.

Another thing to watch out for is trade talks involving John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton. These pieces bring a lot to contenders looking for a little extra spark to put them over the edge at the trade deadline. Danny Ainge will try to move these guys in a general veteran dump to make room for the young guys, as well as some more losses.

This season, the Jazz's goal is clear: lose as many games as possible. They just weren't willing to lose Lauri Markkanen either. They are trying to have their cake and eat it too, and they may just be able to pull it off.