Lauri Markkanen Trade Would Change Title Race amid NBA Rumors on Warriors, More

Lauri Markkanen Trade Would Change Title Race amid NBA Rumors on Warriors, More0 of 3

Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

Among casual NBA fans, Lauri Markkanen might be one of basketball’s forgotten stars.

Among league executives, though, he might be the next needle-mover who could reshape the championship chase if his trade domino ever drops.

To be clear, word has been pretty consistent out of Salt Lake City that the Utah Jazz aren’t looking to move Markkanen. They are, however, “listening,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sports Center (h/t RealGM). While the list of would-be Markkanen suitors isn’t a short one, Wojnarowski reported the Golden State Warriors are on it.

Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer added the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves to the list, though he did so with the caveat that the Jazz “have so far indicated…they would still like to renegotiate and extend Markkanen when the two sides become eligible to do so in August.” Fielding offers, Fischer continued, “is just part of doing good business.”

Of course, fielding offers is only one step away from accepting one, so the right trade package could absolutely get a deal done. And if someone winds up winning the Markkanen sweepstakes, it could have league-wide ramifications.

Markkanen Is a Legitimate Difference-Maker1 of 3

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Name recognition hasn’t done much for Markkanen. He is a one-time All-Star who has played his best basketball on a couple of lottery-bound clubs in Salt Lake City. His time in the NBA spotlight is effectively nonexistent.

Don’t mistake that for a lack of high-end talent, though.

He is a skilled 7-footer with very few holes in his game. He can shoot from three, create off the dribble and mash smaller defenders in the post. He has the length to contest shots at the rim and the mobility to chase most wings around the perimeter. The all-encompassing estimated plus/minus metric ranked him in the 94th percentile this season, per Dunks & Threes.

The 27-year-old is right in the heart of his prime and could conceivably still get better. He can only do so much as a team’s best player, but he could be the second- or third-best hooper on a team with actual title aspirations.

Trade Options Are Limited Elsewhere2 of 3

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

With Mikal Bridges off the market—for a five-pick trade price that surely caught Utah’s attention—teams hoping to find help through trades don’t have many inspiring options beyond Markkanen.

Trae Young has been talked about for months, but as an undersized guard with major defensive deficiencies, he’d be a tricky fit for most teams. Zach LaVine’s injury history, colossal contract and lack of team success have torpedoed his trade value. Brandon Ingram is interesting, but he’s never been the volume shooter or versatile defender you’d want him to be.

Things could, of course, change in a hurry somewhere and add some more interesting names to the mix—maybe a slow start from the Cleveland Cavaliers could soften their stance on keeping the core four—but that isn’t guaranteed to happen. With the playoff field widened by the play-in tournament, sellers have been hard to find.

Teams looking for an impact player right now would have a hard time doing better than Markkanen.

Markkanen Suitors Might Be One Move Away3 of 3

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Markkanen as a trade candidate is interesting enough on his own, but the specific suitors mentioned for him only add to the intrigue here.

The Warriors are seemingly hoping to give Stephen Curry one last crack at contention, but after missing out on Paul George, their remaining options are wholly uninspiring. Markkanen might be the one difference-maker on the board capable of getting this club onto at least the fringes of the championship discussions.

The Kings don’t have the quite the same time crunch, but their best players—De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis—are 26 and 28 years old, respectively. Their window to win is right now, provided they can get the necessary lift.

The Spurs might seem a strange squad to include in any contending talks on the heels of their 60-loss campaign, but we all saw how absurdly dominant Victor Wembanyama was during his first NBA go-round, right? San Antonio has enough assets to attempt a rapid acceleration, it just splurged on Chris Paul to steady its point guard play and getting Markkanen would make Wembanyama significantly harder for opponents to handle.

Finally, the Timberwolves almost certainly don’t have the assets to land Markkanen, but it feels notable that they’re poking around instead. While so many have wondered what sacrifices they might make given their escalating payroll, they instead made a bold draft-night deal for Rob Dillingham and now might be eyeballing Markkanen. That’s interesting activity from a club that just won 56 games and made the conference finals.