The Utah Jazz's offseason moves have raised the question of whether Lauri Markkanen will be the next one who hits the trade block. Intel from ESPN's Tim MacMahon revealed that Markkanen isn't going anywhere, but it also confirmed something else about the Jazz star that doesn't get discussed: his inclusion in trade discussions once upon a time has never meant that they're selling him off.
Here's what MacMahon had to say about whether the Jazz plan to trade Markkanen after all the moves they made back on July 15.
"That is not Utah's intention, sources told ESPN," MacMahon wrote. "It would be too much to describe Markkanen as untouchable, but the Jazz still project the All-Star forward as a key player in their future core."
"Utah listened to offers for Markkanen last summer, but none of the talks with other teams ever came close to tempting CEO Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik to make a trade... It would take quite a haul for the Jazz to consider moving Markkanen, probably requiring him to restore his value by performing well for those kinds of offers to come the Jazz's way.
"The hope in Utah, however, is that Markkanen is still in a Jazz uniform when the franchise eventually becomes competitive again."
Unless any plans change, Markkanen is staying in Utah. It's true that the team had discussed trading Markkanen last summer. However, that fueled a narrative that needs to be dissected.
The Jazz & Warriors discussed Markkanen, but...
The Jazz have indeed discussed trading Markkanen in the past. Everyone knew the Golden State Warriors were trying to pry Markkanen from the Jazz, but they set the price and never compromised, so no deal was struck.
However, just because they held trade discussions on Markkanen doesn't mean the Jazz were trying to get rid of him. Since then, there have been rumblings about Markkanen potentially being moved, but no concrete rumors have emerged indicating that Utah has put him on the market.
It's easy to come to the conclusion that because Utah has put Markkanen in trade discussions, that means that they're looking to trade him. What makes it even easier to think that's what's going on is when the Jazz get rid of their veterans and make it clear that they are turning to their youth movement going forward.
However, that's not always what that means. It means that Utah will only trade him if a team offers them the package they want for him. If that offer is not on the table, Markkanen will remain a Jazzman. John Collins and Collin Sexton were traded for much less than what they were worth, but that's because those two aren't stars and only got in the way of their young players.
Markkanen is in a class higher than those two, and for the time being, he's not getting in the way of the Jazz's youth movement. They have the time to ponder where they go with Markkanen. Utah will still be a relatively weak team, so until Markkanen decides he can no longer handle it, or until the team decides they're better off without him, there's no reason to dissolve this partnership.