The Warriors, Kings and San Antonio Spurs appear to be fully committed to a trade deal to acquire Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.
Tony Jones of The Athletic told Kyle Draper and Kevin Gleason in an interview on Sactown Sports 1140 on Wednesday that all three NBA teams have “made significant offers” for the popular forward.
Any offer for Markkanen should be substantial, as Utah would likely be reluctant to part with the 2023 NBA All-Star and Most Valuable Player.
Markkanen appeared in 55 games with Utah during the 2023-24 NBA season, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting a highly impressive 48 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range.
There are multiple teams reportedly in talks with Utah to acquire Markkanen, but the Warriors are the “aggressive” team currently in Markkanen trade talks with the Jazz, TNT's Chris Haynes reported on Bleacher Report on Tuesday.
Both the Warriors and Kings have also been rumored to be in talks to sign New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram, with both teams apparently scouring the forward market. In NBA free agency so far, Golden State has agreed to terms with guard De'Anthony Melton and forward Kyle Anderson, and is reportedly in “serious negotiations” to acquire hard-shooting guard Buddy Hield in a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. Of course, all of this comes after losing franchise icon Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks.
In Sacramento, general manager Monte McNair acquired a top talent in Devin Carter in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, re-signed sixth man Malik Monk and traded Davion Mitchell, Sasha Bezenkov and the Kings' second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.
The Warriors and Kings missed the NBA playoffs last season, but both teams seem to be looking to make a big comeback, even if it means making big sacrifices.
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