While the Golden State Warriors let a piece of their dynasty go after terse contract negotiations, they haven’t given up on maximizing their championship window with face of the franchise Stephen Curry.
“They’ll do this sign-and-trade… they’ll get back essentially a trade exception from Dallas,” reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “But they’ve been trying to aggressive in other places… one player that a number of teams have tried to target: Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz.”
Warriors trying to land Lauri Markkanen out of Utah; per @wojespn
“A lot of the teams who lost out on Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn have transferred over, trying to see if they can land Lauri Markkanen out of Utah, Golden State is one of those teams”
[h/t @ohnohedidnt24 ] pic.twitter.com/Vndaei7ieg
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BASKETBALLonX) July 1, 2024
“Utah’s not sure it wants to trade him,” Wojnarowski continues. “But they have to listen and they’ve been listening…”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes that the San Antonio Spurs are also in on the Markkanen sweepstakes.
Warriors Pursuing Lauri Markkanen Trade
As Markkanen’s fit with the Warriors and Spurs is so obvious, the fact that both teams would be willing to make a hard run at him is understandable. However, because this trade indicates a full-on rebuild for the Jazz, Utah’s preferred package would include substantial draft capital.
If that’s the case, San Antonio is in a much stronger position than Golden State in trade negotiations.
The Spurs have 10 first round picks through 2028, including four in the 2025 NBA Draft. For comparison, the Warriors will have just four in that same time span and —due to the Stepien Rules —would only be able to send the Jazz two of those. True enough, Golden State could land an additional first-round pick if they were willing to trade for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.
“There is no market for Zach Lavine. They are trying to give him away and attach a first round pick. I’ve been told that by multiple, multiple people.”
(via @BobbyMarks42) pic.twitter.com/IcpNq8BgV0
— The Trade Deadline (@_TradeDeadline) June 30, 2024
Yet, even that wouldn’t give them enough firepower to compete with San Antonio’s offer.
Utah could always accept the cap relief that the Warriors offer though. With Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody, and Gary Payton II on expiring contracts, the Jazz could free $30.5 million in cap space next offseason. That could allow the Jazz to have upwards of $50 million in cap space to attract restricted free agents like Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun or Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner.
The Last Word on Lauri Markkanen
In either case, there’s gamble involved.
The first round picks may not land high enough for them to draft a marquee prospect like Duke’s Cooper Flagg or Rutger’s Ace Bailey. Teams will also be loath to trade those players considering their upside. On the other hand, the prospects that they do select might not be what they expected.
In free agency, the young stars that they might want to sign could choose to stay with their team. That’s if their teams were to let them leave anyways. To that point, Sengun and Wagner appear to be in solid situations. Both are on up and coming teams who see them as integral to their success.
Sengun’s spot may be less secure due to the Rockets’ desire to acquire a big man who excels defensively. Wagner may want to step out from Paolo Banchero’s ever-growing shadow. Yet, they —like any other free agent —aren’t guaranteed to stay anywhere.
All of this leads to the possibility that the Jazz might be better off keeping Markkanen. With their assets, they can continue shifting their pieces to build around him. Because of the skillset that makes so many teams see him as a fit, Utah has a multitude of options.
Besides, there aren’t many players as productive as Markkanen. Since being traded to the Jazz, the 27-year-old has averaged 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on .490-.395-.885 splits. A seven-foot sharpshooter, he’s a relatively unique weapon considering that he’s more of a true big man than Phoenix Suns supernova Kevin Durant.
