Much has been made about Lauri Markkanen's trade value these days. After having a resurgent season with the Utah Jazz, further evidenced by how much worse they are when he doesn't play. It's come out that Markkanen can be had, but it would be at such a high price that the suitor would give up more than they're comfortable with. Seven-time NBA Champion Robert Horry certainly thinks so, as he revealed it would take a surefire young cornerstone.
On his podcast, "Big Shot Bob," Horry name-dropped Cooper Flagg as an example of the kind of player the Jazz would want in a hypothetical Markkanen trade while making it clear that for that reason, the Jazz star isn't going anywhere.
“If you really think about his talent, this guy is a very, very good talent," Horry said "He’s good. He’s not going anywhere. The only person you would trade him for would be someone like a Cooper Flagg."
(Horry also humorously referenced his "best friend Danny Ainge" which is pretty humorous if you now their history.)
Flagg came into the NBA hyped up as a franchise player in the making, and while he didn't burst onto the scene, he's certainly lived up to the hype. The Mavericks still badly messed up when they traded Luka Doncic, but Flagg should help them forget about that in due time.
For that very reason, the Jazz would have every right to set the bar equivalent to a Flag-esque player if teams want Markkanen. The only way they would part ways is if they get a player with both the talent and potential to not just be as good as him, but better.
There aren't that many players out there who meet that high bar
Flagg has the talent to be better than Markkanen, but there's only one of him out there, and while the Mavericks have certainly been a little notoriously reckless with how they've managed their players over the past year, it's fair to assume Flagg's not going anywhere for a while.
By proxy, it's also hard to see that many young players out there who are guaranteed to give the Jazz a better future than Markkanen. Could Victor Wembanyama do that? Of course, but like Flagg, he is among the most untouchable players in the NBA. Paolo Banchero is an exciting young talent, but we may have reached a stage where he must ask if he's inarguably better than Markkanen.
All of this is to confirm what has been reported but is still being debated: Markkanen is staying with the Jazz. Utah's not at a point where it needs to get rid of him, and all indications are that the plan is to win with him, starting next season. The only way we'll know if this is the right plan is when they put it into action, come October.