A recent article in The Athletic discussed the possibility of an offseason trade. Tony Jones revealed what a potential Lauri Markkanen trade would entail.
from @Tjonesonthenba:
“In the big picture, Markkanen's value to the Jazz is so great that they're probably going to need an offer that's not going to pry him away from the Jazz, something like four or five first-round picks. We need star-level players.'' Talent is coming. ” https://t.co/BdZMAOIJwy
— Brian Toporek (@btoporek) May 3, 2024
This article depicts a proposed trade between the Pistons and Jazz that would include Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and a 2024 first-round pick.
Jones will quickly reveal what it will take to lure Markkanen away from the Jazz.
So even if there was an interest meter scale from 1 to 100, it would almost never register a 1 on the Utah Jazz. The only pick in this deal is a draft pick where no player is projected to be as good as Markkanen. The two players on the contract are not shooters and are not suitable for Will Hardy's offense. I love Jaylen Duren because we played at the same high school in Philadelphia (not at the same time of course). He's a lob threat offensively, doesn't handle the ball or shoot from range, and we've seen Hardy limit Walker Kessler's minutes for this reason this season. I did. But these are the reasons why this particular trade won't work out for the Jazz.
You can analyze this answer in many different ways, but it's clear that the biggest thing the Jazz are looking for in a trade for Markkanen is a quality draft pick. Four to Jaden Ivey is an interesting prospect, although he was a little underwhelmed in Detroit. Still, his athleticism and talent could transform him into something more. He's young and just finished his second season in the league under one of the worst coaches.
So, how many draft picks do we need? Jones goes on to say:
Overall, Markkanen's value to the Jazz is so great that he will probably receive an offer that won't lure him away from the Jazz. It's about four or five first-round picks and star-level talent coming in.
And there's four or five draft picks and star-level talent there. I'm not sure what star-level talent exactly means. Perhaps a player like Jaden Ivey is an important player if he has star potential? But this gives other teams a baseline if they want Markkanen. Some teams have this level of draft capital and can meet this request. Jazz should know that too. The Orlando Magic had all the potential in the world, but they lacked shooting ability, which was one of the reasons they were eliminated in the first round. Could they make an offer to the Jazz that would net Lauri Markkanen around four picks and a young prospect like Anthony Black? Orlando owns the Denver Nuggets' 2025 pick, which will likely be transferred in 2025, and they also control future picks.
If anything, this is the type of team that could make an offer, so we'll see if any team makes a huge offer to Markkanen this offseason.
Finally, Jones concluded:
And most importantly, he's a star-level player who likes being in Utah. The Jazz are going to build their team around him. They intend to sign him to a long-term contract. So if you're the Pistons, don't expect the Jazz to stay on the phone for long unless Cade Cunningham and four first-round picks are an offer.
It's clear the Jazz are ready to grow around Lauri Markkanen heading into the season. The only thing I wonder about is they were saying the same thing about Donovan Mitchell two years ago and we know how that turned out.
