Jazz star Lauri Markkanen was not quite as good as he was in 2022-23, his breakout season in Utah. He was not an All-Star. He will not be a factor in postseason awards.
The Jazz took a step backward as a team. When it comes to the possibility of trading him, then, Markkanen should be a bit cheaper than he might have been a year ago. But does that put him in the wheelhouse for a trade to a team that could certainly use him, the Warriors?
It’s a notion brought up at Bleacher Report this week by writer Dan Favale, in a post titled, “1 Trade Target for Every NBA Team This Offseason.” The Warriors target is Markkanen, but getting him to Golden State won’t be easy.
The simplest option would be to trade Jonathan Kuminga, but the Warriors are unwilling to do so. To keep Kuminga out of the deal, the Warriors will need to send a package of two picks and swaps, as well as figure out how to add another pick.
It seems conceivable that the Warriors would need to find a third team interested in acquiring Andrew Wiggins, one willing to offer young assets to sweeten the deal for the Jazz.
Will Lauri Markkanen Stay in Utah?
According to Favale, the Jazz may be prepared to extend Markkanen’s contract—he has one year and a respectable $18 million left on his four-year, $68 million deal. He could potentially wait until 2025 to be eligible for a larger contract.
Still, if Marrkanen is a building component in Utah, he is clearly not a Warriors target.
“Any move they make should be seismic and clarifying. Lauri Markkanen qualifies. Getting him will be a challenge. The Utah Jazz seem willing to pay him. However, with the youthful players and the (likely) potential to ship out two firsts and up to four swaps, the Warriors have a mixed bag of plausible starting positions,” Favale noted.
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“Pairing Markkanen with Curry, Green, a re-signed Thompson, and, say, Kuminga does not ensure Golden State’s return to title contention. They probably require a more advanced self-creator who is taller than tiny.”
All of this is true. But the Warriors need size, youth, and to break out of their present slump. Markkanen would do that.