The Golden State Warriors are the top suitors for Lauri Markkanen. Despite their eagerness to acquire the star forward, it seems that they aren't eager enough. In exchange for Markkanen, the Utah Jazz are looking to get Brandin Podziemski as part of a trade package. However, it appears that the Warriors aren't willing to let go of Podziemski and remain firm on keeping him.
Prominent NBA insider Marc Steiner reported that the Warriors are still pursuing Markkanen without offering Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga. Obviously, this won't pique the interest of Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge. But given the recent turn of events, it seems like trading their star forward away won't be an issue any longer.
Jazz coaching staff visits Lauri Markkanen in Finland
With the NBA season just a couple of months away, some players are looking to get back into game shape after taking a break during the offseason. Then there are those who are still on vacation mode and could likely get back on the hardwood in the following weeks.
As for Lauri Markkanen, it appears that he's getting the best of both worlds. Marc Stein recently reported that the Utah Jazz organization sent out a bunch of coaches to Markkanen's home country to work out with him. Despite the rumors of the star forward potentially moving to Golden State, this recent report from Stein kills all speculations.
“The Jazz recently sent multiple coaching staff representatives to Finland to assist Markkanen in workouts with rising Jazz guard Keyonte George,” Stein wrote. “The team has even been posting pictures of those on-court sessions all week via social media. More than one rival team consulted said it agreed with my personal read that it just got harder to see Utah abruptly turning around and trading him immediately in the wake of helping to facilitate training sessions in faraway Markkanen's home country.”
If the Jazz were going to trade Markkanen somewhere along the road, it wouldn't make sense to send coaches his way to train him. With trainers now by his side, it's clear that the chances of Markkanen sticking around in Utah are high. That's if no team matches Ainge's asking price for the Finnish forward.
Given these circumstances, this gives the Warriors more reasons to budge on offering the Jazz a deal for Markkanen. With that in mind, it's best if the organization could find a player that could best fit Golden State's playstyle without having to let go of some key pieces. Especially now with Klay Thompson out of the picture, it's a necessity for them to fill the void the shooter left.
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