Because the Utah Jazz chose to cash in on Walker Kessler instead of keeping him, that has fueled speculation (NOT INTEL) that they could look to do the same with Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is good enough that a team might just be desperate enough to offer a deal similar to the one the Jazz just got from the Lakers.
Let's just clear this up now: It's not happening.
Look, there is some appeal in Utah owning an iffy team's future like they now do with the Lakers, but Markkanen is a better player than Kessler, even if comparing the two is apples and oranges for what they both bring to the court.
More importantly, Utah knew that even though they had the chance to keep Kessler, they wouldn't be able to keep their core with him for all too long. The running theme of the past few offseasons is that teams are frantically trying to avoid the consequential tax aprons as much as possible. It's why Denver is looking to trade Cameron Johnson as we speak.
So, someone had to be the odd man out. To be fair, if Utah had kept Kessler, odds are that Markkanen would have been out of Utah not too long afterward. It's become more difficult than ever to keep a playoff contender, and it was clear one of them was the sacrificial lamb. In short, the Jazz prevented a problem from ever starting.
With Kessler gone, Markkanen's not going anywhere. Not unless the Jazz get an unquestiobale upgrade, but truth be told, there aren't that many players in the NBA better than The Finnisher.
Honestly, Markkanen deserves this chance more than anyone
Utah has more or less assembled a team determined to make the playoffs with a unique blend of veterans and young talent. It goes without saying that this is probably the best team Markkanen has ever played for, which reflects more on how unlucky his career has been than anything else.
That's because Markkanen has never played a minute in the postseason. Starting his career with the dysfunctional Chicago Bulls, then continuing it for only one year on the rising Cleveland Cavaliers, all to be traded to a Jazz team that was just about to start over.
It would feel disrespectful to rob him of his chance to finally go to the playoffs. Granted, Danny Ainge has never been one to let sentiment affect his decisions, but there's no need to trade Markkanen because Utah has more to gain from keeping him.
Markkanen finally figured himself out on the right team, and now that the right team has figured themselves out a few years, it's long past time for this union to finally makes its mark on the NBA!
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