(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The Utah Jazz are years away from being a competitive NBA team, and in their minds, they may want to give themselves a better chance at getting a very high pick in next year’s draft.
Therefore, there are some whispers that they may trade Lauri Markkanen, the 7-foot-tall big man who is their best player.
According to Tony Jones, if another team is actually going to land Markkanen, it would take lots of capital — perhaps a star-level player and four or five first-round draft picks, per NBACentral.
“Markkanen’s value to the Jazz is so great that it’s going to take an offer that is probably not going to come to pry him from the Jazz. Something like four or five first-round picks, and a star-level talent coming over.”
– @Tjonesonthenba on Utah’s potential asking price for… pic.twitter.com/o8Gq7Zc508
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 6, 2024
Markkanen, the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, spent his first five seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, and he was traded to the Jazz two summers ago when they got rid of Donovan Mitchell.
He had already been a good player, but when he relocated to Ohio, he took his game to another level.
Last season, he averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game, which earned him his first All-Star berth, and his numbers this season were only slightly lower.
At age 26, he should be able to perform at this type of level for at least five more seasons, barring a major injury.
There are a number of teams that could use Markkanen, as he could take them to the next level and possibly even make them into a legitimate championship contender.
One of those teams could be the New York Knicks, who have suddenly emerged as a power in the playoffs despite a season-ending injury to power forward Julius Randle.
Randle has been an awkward fit for New York for a while, and if they managed to somehow swap him for Markkanen, they could end up being able to challenge the Boston Celtics for Eastern Conference supremacy next season.
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