The Utah Jazz have found themselves in an interesting spot this offseason. On one hand, they could try to build themselves into a playoff contender around Lauri Markkanen and make a run in the Western Conference. On the other hand, though, they could trade Markkanen and try to rebuild their roster to make themselves a title contender rather than just a playoff contender.

Unsurprisingly, Markkanen has been involved in trade rumors all offseason long, but to this point, he remains with the Jazz. As time goes on, it seems more and more unlikely that he will be dealt, and according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Utah could end up re-signing Markkanen before tanking in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign in an effort to land Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Could the Jazz's Lauri Markkanen, Cooper Flagg plan work?

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) brings the ball up the court against the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter at Delta Center.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The Jazz haven't really found a suitable trade package for Markkanen, and with many teams having already made their big moves this offseason, it's fair to wonder whether or not that deal will ever come to fruition. As a result, keeping Markkanen around for one more lousy campaign before trying to build the team back up could be Utah's best path forward.

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There's no way to guarantee that the Jazz will land Flagg, who is expected to be the top overall prospect in the 2025 draft class, but they can boost their odds by being one of the worst teams in the league. That seems to be what Jones is implying the team will attempt to do so that they can get Markkanen a new running mate in Flagg.

The Jazz have been walking the line between contending and rebuilding ever since they moved on from Donovan Mitchell, and it seems like they could keep on trying to do that for the upcoming season. Rather than fully picking a lane, they could hold onto Markkanen, focus on developing their young core, and hopefully have some of the highest odds to land the top overall pick in the 2025 draft.

It seems like a bit of a risky strategy given that the Jazz would be selling Markkanen on a plan that they have no way of guaranteeing work, but if worst comes to worst, they could just end up trying to trade the star forward. A move may not be as likely as it seemed early on this offseason for Markkanen, and it will be interesting to see whether he ends up signing a new deal with the team at some point in the near future.