(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
The Utah Jazz might be retooling, but that doesn’t mean they will just give up on their franchise player.
Instead of trading him as most insiders and fans speculated, the Jazz have doubled down on their commitment to Lauri Markkanen.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news that both parties were close to agreeing terms on a big-money deal.
Now, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Jazz have signed him to a five-year contract renegotiation and extension worth a whopping $238 million.
Utah Jazz All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen has signed a five-year, $238 million contract renegotiation and extension – including $220 million in new money, his agent Michael Lelchitski of @SIGSports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/dFx6pIc2nV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 7, 2024
Per Woj, this includes $220 million in new money, as told by his agent Michael Lelchitski of SIG Sports.
The Finnish forward had one year left in his contract and was slated to make $18 million next season.
The deal includes no team or player options, per Markkanen’s agents.
More than that, this extension means Markkanen cannot be traded for six months, which pushes him past the February 6th trade deadline.
That’s terrible news for the Golden State Warriors, who were reportedly very active in trying to get him.
Markkanen now cannot be traded until next offseason at the very least, and getting a player with four years left in his contract is obviously no easy task.
The 27-year-old has been one of the best players in his position since arriving in Utah, and while he won’t be playing playoff basketball for the time being, he’s now one of the highest-paid players in the league as well.
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