The Utah Jazz have not commented on a trade for Roar Markkanen.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that the Sacramento Kings made a strong push to acquire Markkanen before signing DeMar DeRozan, but the Jazz failed to meet the deadline imposed by the Kings, leading to growing doubt among league sources that Utah would even move Markkanen.
“The Kings made a strong push to acquire Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen earlier this week, offering a worthy pick-based offer while keeping Keegan Murray in the talks, team sources said,” Slater wrote. “But they wanted a quick answer given the trade deadline and the urgency of a collapsing market. Utah didn't meet the deadline. There's skepticism around the league that Jazz executive Danny Ainge would make a move on Markkanen. So the Kings quickly pivoted to DeRozan, heard he was genuinely interested, and stepped on the gas.”
Other teams rumored to be in the running to acquire Markkanen this season include the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
Markkanen is in the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer, so it would seem logical for Utah to maximize his value, but it might also make sense to rework it if Ainge is confident he can keep Markkanen beyond next season.
He appeared in 55 games with Utah in 2023-24, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game. This was his second consecutive season averaging 20 or more points, and the 27-year-old has more than proven himself to be one of the NBA's elite players.
The Jazz aren't true championship contenders after going 31-51 in 2023-24 and missing the postseason for the second straight year, and the Western Conference is so strong heading into 2024-25 that they'll likely squander Markkanen's one good year and then squander him next offseason.
But it might also be fascinating to see if Utah can acquire him and move forward, or if they could potentially transfer him midway through the season.
