Most of the major dominoes of the 2024 NBA offseason period have already fallen. But there is still one major player who could change the landscape of the NBA contending picture — Lauri Markkanen. All offseason long, many eyes have been on the Utah Jazz in anticipation of whether or not they would be keeping Markkanen amid deafening trade rumors linking him to a few suitors, the most prominent of which is the Golden State Warriors.
Alas, there are no indications that Markkanen is angling for a trade from the Jazz. In fact, Markkanen is reportedly content with the Jazz, and he might end up signing a huge contract extension when the opportunity first presents itself (August 6). If the Jazz keep Markkanen, then they may have to pull off a win-now trade or two to make things worth their while, as per Brett Siegel, NBA insider for ClutchPoints.
To that end, it remains very “possible” that the Jazz acquire New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram amid a lukewarm trade market for the former All-Star forward, according to Christian Clark and Adam McCreary on From The Wing podcast.
The Jazz have decided to let their feet off the gas pedal in the final few months of the past two seasons. They reside in that awkward middle ground where they're not too solid of a team to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and they're also not too bad of a team to compete with the worst of the worst for a top-three draft pick.
While Brandon Ingram won't be the final piece to the Jazz's playoff-contention puzzle, acquiring the Pelicans forward should at least help them be more competitive as they look to threaten for a play-in spot in a loaded conference.
Brandon Ingram, welcome to the Jazz?
It has seemed inevitable all offseason long that Brandon Ingram would be switching teams. Ingram ended the 2023-24 season in the worst way possible, struggling under the immense pressure of leading the Pelicans in a difficult first-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the aftermath of another unfortunate Zion Williamson injury.
Moreover, with the Pelicans letting Jonas Valanciunas walk in free agency and trading away Larry Nance Jr. in the Dejounte Murray trade, it seemed as though dealing Ingram for a new starting center was their next logical move. Alas, with Ingram set to enter free agency after the 2024-25 season, the trade market for him has been very chilly, as not a single team has stepped up and expressed much interest in offering the Pelicans forward a huge extension.
But the Jazz have plenty of future cap space, and they actually expressed interest in pulling off blockbuster moves for the likes of Mikal Bridges and Paul George, just to name a few. They also have someone like Walker Kessler whom they can dangle to the Pelicans in a trade that makes a ton of sense for both sides. Don't sleep on the Jazz as a sleeper Ingram destination, especially with Danny Ainge at the helm.
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