Lauri Markkanen has had his name thrown around in trade rumors for the past few years, but according to a front office executive who spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Utah Jazz want to keep him around for a long, long time.
“We hope it will be a long one! (laughed) Seriously, we love Lauri,” a Jazz front office executive said. “He’s been great since getting here and nothing will change with that. He understands what we’re doing and how this team is building. He’s ready to get back here and to get back to work for next season.”
Even though the Jazz seem to be firmly stuck in a rebuild, Markkanen is someone they want around.
How can Lauri Markkanen help the Jazz?
Utah has taken a few different shapes over the course of the last few seasons. There was the first Will Hardy-led team, which overachieved relative to expectations.
But fast forward to now, and the Jazz have fully embraced a youth movement, barring one guy in particular: Markkanen.
Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr. are the latest additions to Utah’s roster, and they will likely be crucial pieces of the puzzle, considering they were a part of Austin Ainge’s first draft class since taking over as President of Basketball Operations.
On top of that, they have guys like Walker Kessler, Kyle Filipowski, Weyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, and Isaiah Collier, all of whom are intriguing young pieces.
Obviously, players like Jusuf Nurkic, Kenyon Martin Jr., Kyle Anderson, and Kevin Love are on the team for the moment, too, but none seem to be a huge part of Utah’s long-term plans (Martin is the closest one to that distinction).
However, based on what the front office executive told Smith, Markkanen is. They want him to be a building block in Utah, despite the fact that he’s much older than the rest of their young core.
Markkanen had a down year last season, but at his best, he’s an elite catch-and-shoot threat who can be a perfect off-ball floor-spacer to make room for guys like Bailey, Collier, and others to create.
At this point in time, Markkanen’s contract looks a bit rough. And once Utah has to start paying their young guys, it could be a problem. But for the time being, the Jazz seem happy with having Markkanen as a part of their core.
So, unless a solid offer comes across their table (which seems unlikely, considering Markkanen’s contract), it sounds like he’ll be in Utah for a while.