Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen continues to generate trade buzz in the offseason. The floor-stretching big man can be perfect on any team mainly because of his size and ability to punish opponents from the perimeter. The Golden State Warriors are said to have their attention on Markkanen as well as the San Antonio Spurs, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN
“There's some other teams that are looking at Markkanen,” Windhorst said on Hoop Collective Podcast (h/t Real GM). “I think San Antonio is one of them.”
Markkanen is still in the fold of the Jazz, who may or may not end up signing the 27-year-old Finnish to an extension. If an extension doesn't materialize anytime soon, the belief that Utah would send him somewhere else via a trade would very much likely grow even louder. Markkanen only has a year left on his current deal that will pocket him $18.044 million in the 2024-25 NBA season before he becomes a free agent in 2025. Until he puts ink on paper for an extension with the Jazz, he will keep on hearing his name regularly mentioned in trade speculations, especially this offseason.
“The teams negotiating with the Jazz do think there's a good chance they're going to move him,” Windhorst elaborated. “Sometimes, Danny Ainge will act like he's going to do a trade then there's no trade. Maybe that will happen again here. But the teams negotiating think so.”
The Warriors are on the verge of losing Klay Thompson and Markkanen can be someone who could compensate Golden State for such a loss. Markkanen wouldn't be able to emotionally relieve Dubs fans over the seemingly looming Thompson departure, but his shooting, most especially, would help Golden State keep its offense potent which will continue to revolve around two-time league Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry.
In two seasons with the Jazz, Markkanen, who also got his first All-Star nod during his first season in Salt Lake City (2022-23), averaged 24.5 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the floor, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0,8 steals per game, while also making 29.5 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.
A Lauri Markkanen-Victor Wembanyama Spurs tandem sounds dangerous
The Spurs are an intriguing potential landing spot as well for Markkanen. For one, that scenario would pair him up in the frontcourt with Victor Wembanyama, who is an incredible talent, to say the least. Markkanen can open up a lot of angles for Wembanyama to attack because of his shooting and the Spurs can also run plenty of offensive schemes focused on using the pair's strengths and abilities as versatile big men.
It has been a while since the Spurs last made the playoffs but they should be a much more fearsome squad should they pull off a trade that lands them Lauri Markkanen.
However, the Spurs and any other team with intentions of negotiating with the Jazz for a Markkanen trade must be wary of the man on the other side of the table AKA Jazz executive Danny Ainge, who knows a thing or two about ending up on the winning side of a swap. Ainge and the Jazz will not just cough up Markkanen for a mediocre package, so a team in pursuit of the sweet-shooting former Arizona Wildcats star has to prepare a pretty compelling trade package.
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