It may seem like a fool's errand for the Utah Jazz to trade Lauri Markkanen, an All-Star big entering his prime, to a contender. Even if said contender sent all of their own picks back, they wouldn't hold much value because the Jazz would basically help the rich get richer, which would all but guarantee that those picks would become late first-rounders.
But what if that contender had more assets to offer than their own? What if they had other assets in their arsenal that would absolutely appeal to Utah? As crazy it is to say, the Oklahoma City Thunder most definitely have picks to entice the Jazz on a Markkanen deal.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz proposed a trade between the Jazz and Thunder that would get the Jazz some assets and youth for Markkanen. He proposed the following deal between the two sides.
Thunder receive: Markkanen
Jazz receive: Nikola Topic, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams, Ousmane Dieng, 2025 Miami top-14 protected first-round pick, 2026 Thunder first-round pick
Swartz didn't delve into why the Jazz would do this. If the Jazz agreed to a trade like this, it would confirm a harsh reality about Markkanen - he doesn't have much trade value. That has yet to be really confirmed, but if the Jazz agreed to precisely this trade with OKC, it would.
However, even if Markkanen doesn't have much value, it's not like Utah will get rid of him to get him off the team. They're more than happy to keep him around. They would especially think twice about trading him to a team like the Thunder, who would greatly benefit from adding him to the team and have assets that would appeal to Utah.
There is a scenario in which both sides could win in a Markkanen trade, but only on one condition.
The one condition that could send Markkanen to the Thunder
As of now, the Jazz aren't desperate to trade Markkanen, but what could sway them to agreeing to a trade is if they get something highly valuable for him, and the Thunder could have something exactly like that, but in a few months, and there's no telling if they will have it.
The Thunder have the 76ers' pick this year, though it is a top-six protected pick, meaning that if it falls to seven, it goes to the Thunder. Enough teams are tanking right now that the Thunder could get that pick. If they do, that is something that would appeal to Utah.
It might not be Cooper Flagg, but it is an exciting asset since it is still a loaded draft class. The Thunder are primed to win now, so Markkanen would be more appealing than developing a high lottery pick. That pick would fit better with a young team like the Jazz, while Markkanen would fit better on a contender like the Thunder.
It wouldn't be guaranteed, but Danny Ainge has shown that he has a good eye for young talent, so if the Jazz got that pick from the Thunder, Ainge's history has shown that when he picks high enough, he gets a game-changer.
If this trade were to happen, there's a possibility where Utah would end up with Cooper Flagg and another potential franchise player on the team. It wouldn't be easy to part ways with Markkanen with how fantastic he's become, but man, getting two possible stars in one draft would be more than worth it.
Of course, all of this would revolve around if the Thunder get that pick. and that's not something we'll know about until May.