Stop if you've heard this one before. All eyes for the past few weeks have been on what the Utah Jazz plan to do with Lauri Markkanen. To summarize the situation, the Jazz have until August 6 to agree to an extension that would make him trade-eligible before the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
And in case you've missed it, all signs from the past week or so are pointing to Markkanen not only staying with the Jazz, but he plans to sign on the dotted line after the August 6 deadline, meaning he can't be traded mid-season.
Yahoo Sports! Jake Fischer pretty much confirmed it via his X account.
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
Beyond that, isn't it kind of odd that not much has happened in the NBA since the Markkanen trade rumors have heated up (sorry Gordon Hayward) over the past few weeks. The simple explanation for that is, teams are waiting to see how that situation gets resolved before they do anything.
But why is Markkanen the biggest domino for the next 24 hours or so?
He has a lot more trade value compared to other stars and/or high-quality players
Markkanen was certainly not the first player to show up in trade rumors. Zach LaVine's been in the rumor mill since seemingly the dawn of time. Brandon Ingram's name has also popped up quite a bit since the offseason began, and the Jazz have been linked to him.
There's a fair argument that both of those players are better than Markkanen, The reason why Markkanen has more appeal is because of his cheap contract and his lack of injury history. Even if they have to pay him later, teams want the guy who is paid much less than what he's worth.
Even if the Warriors have been the team linked most to him, it wouldn't be surprising if plenty of teams have called and/or will call about his availability until the deadline expires. He is a rare asset to have that Utah lucked into when they traded Donovan Mitchell away.
Once he's taken care of, other dominos will likely fall.
When the situation gets resolved, more trade rumors will likely heat up
Once Markkanen, who is the only big name to get underpaid among possible trade candidates, is taken off the table, teams will then turn to other names who could be on the move. That goes beyond the likes of LaVine and Ingram, who may actually stay when it's all said and done.
Other players like Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dennis Schroder, Anfernee Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, and Robert Williams III, to name a few, could find new teams between now and when training camp starts. And hey, let's not forget the likes of Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, and Collin Sexton!
They've been in the rumor mill for some time now, but it's very possible that the holdup has simply been seeing what happens next with Markkanen. Better yet, had he been traded, it could have helped teams set their price tag for their available players.
Instead, they'll have set the market somewhere between what the Knicks paid up for Mikal Bridges and what the Pelicans paid up for Dejounte Murray. It should make for some interesting convos.
More free agents will also sign with their next team
While the cream of the crop of NBA free agents is more or less gone, there are still quality rotation players available to sign. Isaac Okoro (restricted), Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Smith Jr., Evan Fournier, Robert Covington, Landry Shamet, Davis Bertans, and Markelle Fultz, among others, are still available to pick up.
There are still several open roster spots left over for those players to fill. It will all depend on how these rosters shake up if and when more trades are made. If any blockbuster trades happen, that could open up more roster spots.
Some of these free agents may very well sign with the Jazz knowing how much cap room they have left and knowing that they don't plan to use it to absorb bad contracts.
Why this is good for the NBA
The NBA is typically a year-round sport, but any diehard fans know that August is typically the worst month because nothing happens. However, with the Markkanen situation done and away with, that may not be the case in 2024.
Even if the biggest offseason plotlines have already been resolved, at least there should be a little more dessert than what we typically get. As uneventful as the past few weeks have been, everyone's patience deserves to be rewarded with another batch of NBA rumors and transactions.
Sadly, though, we will have to wait several more hours before all of that happens.