While it's the dog days of the NBA offseason, some teams are looking for ways to add star power to their roster, with Lauri Markkanen being an incredibly popular option for the Golden State Warriors. Nearly any team could use a player like Markkanen since he's a big man who thrives as a wing but is almost a perfect fit in Golden State. However, despite the theoretical fit, the Warriors may have competition to land Markkanen.
That's because the Jazz, led by Danny Ainge, have asked for quite a bit in any trade involving Markkanen. To be fair to Utah, Markkanen was the central piece that the Jazz acquired when they traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since coming to Salt Lake City, Markkanen has blossomed into a bonafide All-Star, and, based on a recent conversation between NBA insiders Tim Bontempts and Brian Windhorst, that is why teams like Utah aren't giving away that kind of talent for nothing.
“You mentioned that there’s a lack of offers out there that commensurate with what the Jazz want,” said Bontempts on The Hoop Collective. “We just saw Mikal Bridges, a non-All-Star for five first-round picks. We’ve seen the Jazz make multiple trades for giant picks in the past for Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. We've seen all these other trades with all these guys traded around for all these picks all over the place, right? There's just not a lot of picks left, and there's not a lot of teams left with picks available in places where it makes sense for a guy like Lauri Markkanen to go.”
“Well, there's one,” replied Windhorst.
“There’s two,” said McMahon. “Are we saying Golden State and Houston? Well, [there are] three if you want to count Houston. Oklahoma City, you can always throw Oklahoma City into these conversations. Having said that, they made two big moves without giving up a 1st round pick this summer. But it’s also not really in their m.o. to do that kind of a thing.”
Could Lauri Markkanen have a new home?
Again, the Warriors are a team that has long been rumored to try and acquire Markkanen this offseason. Still, it has hit several snags during negotiations between Utah and Golden State. The Warriors want to add Markkanen to extend their championship window around Stephen Curry. Moreover, when their young, up-and-coming talent like Brandin Podziemski is ready to take the mantle, Markkanen can continue the championship charge.
However, if teams like the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder enter the mix, the Warriors' master plan to land Markkanen could go up in smoke. As Bontempts mentioned, the New York Knicks' acquisition of Mikal Bridges set the standard for a trade involving a star this offseason. So, considering that the Rockets and Thunder are loaded with young talent and draft picks, and they can acquire Markkanen and sign him for a long-term extension, the Warriors might start to sweat.
Houston could offer up young players, smaller salaries, or a boatload of picks for Markkanen. In contrast, Oklahoma City could offer the same amount of picks or even a young prospect or two to satiate Utah's desires. The Warriors would be unable to match the Rockets' theoretical offer of Jabari Smith and four first-round selections. They couldn't compete with a Thunder package centered around Nikola Topic, Ousmane Dieng, and four future first-round picks either.
Considering that Ainge operates all channels during trade talks, as he did when everyone thought Mitchell would end up with the Knicks, Markkanen to Golden State isn't a foregone conclusion. The pressure's on for the Warriors to land Markkanen because, if they don't, their window to win another title or two with Curry might be closing. But, with teams like the Thunder and Rockets looming, things might reach a boiling point sooner rather than later.
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