It's pretty clear who on the Utah Jazz's current roster they will see as the past and who they will see as the future in the coming years.
The Jazz will always appreciate Jordan Clarkson and John Collins for their contributions on the floor and in the locker room, but they'll inevitably be on a new team either next year or the year after that. Pending any surprises, Walker Kessler, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, and Brice Sensabaugh will likely play past their rookie contracts in Utah.
And then there's Lauri Markkanen. Besides Markkanen, Collin Sexton is the only player on the Jazz whose future on the team is hard to pinpoint. Even so, with Markkanen, it's tougher to figure out if they see him as a long-term cog. It's not so easy to trade a star entering his prime, no matter what phase his team is in, because history would suggest that Utah wouldn't get anyone as good back for him.
Markkanen's commitment to Utah last summer demonstrated his loyalty, but he agreed to it believing that the Jazz would get better from there, and things went the opposite direction. If that's not concerning enough, there's a good chance the Jazz will stay as bad as they were this season for some time, which only puts Markkanen's long-term place on the team even more into question.
It would be great to see Markkanen be a vital player on a good Jazz team, but as time has passed, it's becoming clear that day may never come. He should be on a playoff contender that needs him, just like the Jazz need more young talent to fit their rebuilding timeline, so trading Markkanen, as hard as it sounds, makes sense.
If Utah chooses that route, Markkanen should have a market. However, with how much he's owed, the Jazz might not get that big of a haul for him, and the bidding war might not be too strong.
Still, one team that makes sense as a destination for Markkanen and would appeal to Utah is a team that unintentionally went down a path similar to the Jazz: the Philadelphia 76ers.
How a Jazz-Sixers trade involving Lauri Markkanen could work
Because the Sixers have had a season from hell, they suddenly find themselves with the fifth-highest odds of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft. This was not what the Sixers wanted, and things could go from bad to worse for them if their pick lands outside the top six. If that happens, that pick goes to the Western Conference buzzsaw Oklahoma City Thunder. Yikes.
If lady luck shines on the City of Brotherly Love in the lottery, that's great, but they're not a team actively trying to get younger. If they wind up with a top-three pick, they'll likely keep it unless they are offered a franchise-changing player for it (sorry guys, but Markkanen doesn't fit that bill).
If they get the fifth or sixth overall pick, that holds just enough value for the Jazz to dangle Markkanen. But how could the Sixers match salaries for Markkanen in a trade? This is the one caveat Jazz fans might not like, but this is how a trade would work out.
Sixers receive: Markkanen
Jazz receive: Paul George, Sixers 2025 first round pick (No. 5 or No. 6)
(If the Sixers get the fourth pick, it would be very hard to see what they would do if this trade were offered to them.)
Let's start with said caveat.
George has been a disaster with the Sixers, and common sense would point to the fact that he will only get worse as he continues on the wrong side of 30, making that max contract look all the more catastrophic. It's only been one season, but that's been enough for the Sixers—if not more so.
He gets paid more than Markkanen, but his contract is shorter, and the prospect of acquiring another high lottery pick in what is considered a pretty loaded draft would make him worth the trouble for Utah, especially if that's the best deal out there.
Besides, the Jazz could agree to take George believing they can restore his value to potentially trade him for more draft assets and/or cap flexibility. Even if that doesn't work out, George's decline, along with how legitimately injury-prone he is, would mean the Jazz wouldn't have to worry about him interfering with their rebuild or getting fined for keeping him on the bench like they did with Markkanen.
Sure, his contract is bad, but those kinds of albatrosses are worth tolerating in a rebuild. With three years left on his deal, it would be an untradeable deal for one year, and if George has a healthier year, maybe it won't last that long.
Okay, so the elephant in the room has been confronted, so let's focus on that highly appealing lottery pick the Jazz would get for Markkanen. Even if Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are the biggest names coming out of the draft this year, other names like Ace Bailey, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Derik Queen are very exciting to pair with them.
Potentially coming up with one of Flagg or Harper and then getting another high prospect from the draft would help the Jazz embrace their youth movement with even more exciting players to build around. That would be getting excellent (enough) value for Markkanen, further solidifying a direction for Utah to go long-term.
While skeptics may argue that the Jazz star is worth more than a high lottery pick and a bad deal, keep in mind Markkanen's trade value isn't as high as it was before the Jazz paid him. Because he makes that much, his contract lasts for four more years, and he will come off a season where his stats took a noticeable dip, that can turn teams off.
So why does he make sense for the Sixers, then? He'd give them a lot more for their money's worth than George would. He's much younger, paid less, his best days are ahead of him, he fits better with what they want to do, he could spot minutes for Embiid at center, and he gives the Sixers badly needed versatility.
Markkanen could salvage what currently looks like an increasingly unsolvable and terrible situation in Philadelphia. A deal like this could require more moving parts, like one or both teams moving other picks. The Jazz could also try to add Clarkson or Sexton as sweetener, though either would be redundant next to Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
This is an even deal for everyone involved. Jazz cash in on Markkanen's value while they can, Markkanen goes to a team that needs him, and Philadelphia gets out from George while maintaining their contender status.
From a sentimental standpoint, it would stink for the Jazz to see Markkanen go, but this trade gives them something the Jazz's long-term future has lacked: clarity.