Ever since his EuroBasket brilliance, the prospect of the Utah Jazz trading Lauri Markkanen has only grown louder. It's grown so loud that experts now predict Utah will pull the trigger on a deal. The team that has been floated most often as a potential destination for the Jazz star is the Detroit Pistons. Though they make sense, Utah trading Markkanen period would prove that they are liars.
NBC Sports' Kurt Helin made five big predictions for the 2025-26 season, with his first one being his belief that the Jazz will trade Markkanen to the Pistons.
Helin explained why the Pistons would need Markkanen after the run they just had. Outlining a potential trade might be a little difficult for them though,
"The challenge for Detroit (or any team looking at him) is matching Markkanen’s $46.4 million salary. Well, that and knowing that the Ainge family will have Utah asking for the world. It’s not that hard to make the salaries fit for a trade... and the Pistons have first-round picks they can throw in. The sticking point: Utah will ask for Jaden Ivey," Helin wrote.
(For the record, the Jazz would want him and Ausar Thompson just to get talks going, no matter how unrealistic that may be.)
Look, the Jazz are tanking and the Pistons are trying to build something special, so it makes sense, but if Utah traded their lone star to Motown, they would be going back on everything they have said about Markkanen.
The Jazz have said Markkanen isn't going anywhere
Even before Markkanen re-established his excellence during EuroBasket, Utah stated that Markkanen would be on the team long-term. Austin Ainge reiterated that sentiment during Jazz Media Day. To go out of their way to put that on the record indicates that Utah believes Markkanen should be on their next playoff team.
That might not necessarily be right away, but Utah sounds confident in their long-term vision with Markkanen. Many may question why they would keep him when they are in a rebuild, but they clearly believe this phase that they're in now won't last for too long. To then go back on their word would be quite a shock, as they've made it very public that they want to keep Markkanen.
Things may shift this coming summer, but it would be shocking for the Jazz to trade Markkanen, no matter how much sense it would make. Who do people think the Utah Jazz are?
The Dallas Mavericks?!