To think, this could have been the Utah Jazz's problem. Reading the tea leaves on the situation, the Jazz never entertained trading Lauri Markkanen. If they had, they would have had to deal with what the Warriors currently have on their plate.
If the Warriors and Jazz had agreed to a deal, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody would have had to be included in the trade. The problem with that would have been that both are entering the last year of their rookie deals and are up for an extension.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Warriors are in a staring contest with Kuminga regarding his next contract
"Jonathan Kuminga is a player the Warriors believe can emerge as that superstar player," Charania said on ESPN's NBA Today. "I'm told both sides are still far apart in extension conversations between now and Monday. I think there's a real belief that this could play out into the season and into restricted free agency."
Charania noted that Kuminga may bet on himself - not always a foolproof option - while the Warriors will bank on his development, turning him into their next superstar. In Moody's case, there seems to be more optimism.
“I’m told there is a window for him to get a deal done. That is a much more likely deal for Golden State.”
On Kuminga: “Both sides are still far apart in extension conversations… Kuminga is a guy who wants to bet on himself & try to be as close to a max contract player out there.”
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 18, 2024
On Moody: “I’m told there is a window for him to a deal done.”
Shams w/latest on Warriors extension… pic.twitter.com/lzo21c1wLe
Kuminga took a noticeable step forward for the Warriors last season, but it remains to be seen if he is a superstar in the making, or even a star for that matter. Moody has been in and out of their rotation, but it hasn't been exactly clear if he's an NBA rotation player.
If the Jazz had traded Markkanen for them, the Warriors' concerns with them would have become Utah's.
Their questions marks could have been a problem for the Jazz
Trading for both Kuminga, knowing what he's demanding, and Moody, not knowing if he's worth committing to, could have been a problem for the Jazz. Especially if they traded an unquestionable star for Markkanen for them.
Getting young talent is typically how it goes when trading a star away to another team, but those two come with question marks by themselves. That likely factored into why the Jazz demanded Golden State's entire farm for Markkanen. It may have been okay with the Jazz to acquire Kuminga and Moody as long as they also acquired other young talent and draft assets to go with them.
The Jazz know what they have with Markkanen. If they traded them, there's no guarantee they would have gotten the same results from anyone that Golden State sent back for him. More than that, they would have had to deal with all the uncertainty regading Kuminga's and Moody's next contracts.
That would have been unnecessary drama for a team that would have committed to their rebuild in full had they pulled the trigger. Sure the Jazz have questions now with Markkanen on the team, but at least it's pretty clear what they have with him.