Report: Team interested in Markkanen confident Jazz will trade him Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
As the debate over the Lauri Markkanen trade heats up, one NBA insider believes one franchise is confident the Utah Jazz star will be moved.
At least one team interested in Markannen projects confidence that Utah will trade the NBA All-Star forward in the near future, even if they extend his contract, according to NBA insiders. Marc Stein reported on Friday.
Stein’s report also indicates that even though Markkanen wants to stay with the Jazz, Utah remains motivated to trade him due to the difficulty it has faced in acquiring top-tier players alongside him.
“That could make the trade route more attractive… especially given the projected strength of the 2025 and 2026 NBA drafts,” Stein said.
The important caveat here is the way Markkanen’s current contract is structured. The Jazz can’t use their $30 million in cap space until Aug. 6, so they wouldn’t renew the Finnish center’s contract until then. If Markkanen re-signs with Utah at that point, the Jazz wouldn’t be able to trade him for exactly six months, which is the trade deadline for the 2024-2025 season.
The warriors have emerged as a possible destination for Markkanen, though the trade could rob the franchise of important draft picks. Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is known for his business acumen when it comes to leveraging draft picks for superstar players.
There are other issues, such as the fact that the 27-year-old has one year left on his contract and could be worth considerably more than the $18 million he would be due next season. Therefore, any team that signs him would have to reach a long-term deal for the trade to be profitable.
Utah has failed to build a consistent playoff team around Markkanen, so they could be moving on from him at some point. Golden State is still looking for another high-caliber player to pair with Steph Curry, and the 7-foot-10 forward could be exactly what the franchise needs.
Still, there is nothing concrete at this time, as Reports have suggested that the Jazz could stay and negotiate a long-term contract extension.
For now, Warriors fans can still hold out hope for Markkonen and Steph Curry hitting three-pointers together.