Lauri Markkanen has been one of the most talked-about players this NBA offseason, in large part due to swirling trade rumors involving the 2023 Most Improved Player. However, after signing a five-year, $238 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz, those rumors will have to be put on ice.
A Markkanen trade this coming season would have still been in play had he signed his extension any day before today. The issue is that he was not eligible for the extension he was looking for until yesterday, Aug. 6. So when the Jazz and Markkanen did not come to a deal on Tuesday, it became a certainty that Markkanen, as long as he signed an extension (as expected), could not be dealt during the 2024-25 NBA season.
The reason the Jazz cannot trade Markkanen this season is that players who sign an extension like the one Markkanen did are ineligible to be traded within six months after signing. Specifically, the type of extension that can render someone like Markkanen ineligible for a trade is one in which two or more seasons are added to the deal at a salary increase of more than five percent.
Had Markkanen inked his deal on Tuesday, the day he became eligible for this extension, the Jazz would not have been able to trade him until Feb. 6, the day of the NBA trade deadline, thus keeping alive the possibility a team — like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, or Oklahoma City Thunder — could acquire Markkanen in a midseason trade. By waiting a day, Markkanen ensured that while he may not see out the entire length of his Jazz extension, he will be in Utah at least for one more season.
As for when Markkanen can be traded now, the exact date is still to be determined, but he will not be able to be included in trade talks until the 2025 NBA Draft, which is typically in late June.
Jazz hold on to Lauri Markkanen despite Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
There were a few reasons why it made sense for the Utah Jazz to execute a trade involving Lauri Markkaen this offseason. Firstly, Markkanen is an All-Star-caliber player and has proven he can elevate the Jazz. Some might not see that as a negative, but for a team like Utah, which has little chance as currently constructed to compete for anything but an eighth seed in the Western Conference, Markkanen could make the Jazz too good.
The Jazz, like any non-contenders, are likely eyeing the stacked 2025 NBA Draft, and specifically, Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be selected first overall. Flagg had a breakout performance as part of the U.S. Select Team against Team USA's Olympic squad in a scrimmage, further bolstering Flagg's case to be the top pick next year.
Utah was thought to be determined to ‘tank' and try to draft Flagg, but Markkanen may win them just a few too many games, worsening their draft lottery odds in the process.
Markkanen's stock has also never been higher than during these last two seasons. Traded twice — first in a sign-and-trade by the Chicago Bulls and then by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Donovan Mitchell deal — Markkanen has become a player legitimately capable of being named an All-Star or to an All-NBA team.
On the surface, it is surprising that the Jazz, who have won no more than 37 games and missed even the Play-In the last two seasons, would not cash in on Markkanen's perceived trade value and ship him out for draft picks.
Follow Us
Subscribe