{"id":144030,"date":"2025-06-09T12:25:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T16:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=144030"},"modified":"2025-06-09T12:28:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T16:28:32","slug":"jazz-lauri-markkanen-may-be-available-trade-bill-simmons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/06\/09\/jazz-lauri-markkanen-may-be-available-trade-bill-simmons\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Pundit Believes Jazz Cornerstone \u2018Available\u2019 For Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast<\/em><\/a>, The Ringer\u2019s Bill Simmons suggests that Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen<\/a> is within the constellation of stars that could be on the move during the summer solstice.<\/p>\n

While name-dropping a list of luminaries that includes the likes of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant<\/a>, the popular NBA pundit says: \u201cDurant, Markkanen; that’s the next level. Both of those guys we think are available.\u201d If Simmons is right, his speculation won\u2019t come from left field. Indeed, the Jazz were willing to trade Markkanen last offseason, with the Golden State Warriors and others hot on his trail<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NBA Pundit Believes Jazz\u2019s Lauri Markkanen \u2018Available\u2019 For Trade<\/h2>\n

Markkanen signed a four year, $195.8 million contract extension with Utah once last summer\u2019s trade negotiations fell through.<\/p>\n

However, he probably didn\u2019t do enough to secure his status as a franchise cornerstone afterward. In 2024-25, the seven-footer averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game. He also shot 42.3 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from outside the arc. Hampered by myriad injuries, he played just 47 games; a career-low.<\/p>\n

Honestly, Markkanen may have been resting on his laurels after a couple of strong seasons. To that point, he averaged 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and shot 39.5 percent from 3 in his first two seasons with the Jazz. As a result, he was able to shed the bust label that had followed him from Chicago. More than that, he earned his first and only All-Star selection in 2022-23.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been rough sledding since then though.<\/p>\n

The decrease in his scoring average reflects not just the Jazz adding talent around him but his limitations creating his own offense. If his three-ball isn\u2019t falling, it\u2019s often a long night. He doesn\u2019t excel at setting the table for others either though, which makes his status as their No. 1 option even more problematic. His defensive lapses can be frustrating, especially given his length.<\/p>\n

All of that being said, there\u2019s a good reason to believe the Jazz are at least willing to trade Markkanen. The offers that they get for him may not be as strong as last year though. Thus, it\u2019s possible that he\u2019ll still return to Utah, where he could rebuild his value.<\/p>\n

Potential Trade Suitors<\/h3>\n

If Utah does trade Markkanen, there have been whispers about the Philadelphia 76ers interest in him. Such a scenario would almost certainly lead to Paul George<\/a> or the 2025 No. 3 pick being routed to Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, Markkanen\u2019s skillset is still a natural fit for the Warriors. Golden State might be willing to trade both Brandin Podziemski<\/a> and Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> to the Jazz nowadays.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jan 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alternatively, the Brooklyn Nets could entertain a Markkanen-Cam Johnson<\/a> swap, which could lead to draft compensation as well. The Cleveland Cavaliers could take Markkanen back, perhaps giving up De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/a>. The San Antonio Spurs could be willing to trade Devin Vassell<\/a> for him, especially if they draft Dylan Harper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, regardless of the destination, any trade they make will have to be one where they receive real<\/em> value in return. After all, they\u2019re probably not just trying to give him away.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer\u2019s Bill Simmons suggests that Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is within the constellation of stars that could be on the move during the summer solstice. While name-dropping a list of luminaries that includes the likes of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Phoenix Suns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":144049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1608,6,9,2,25,62,3,13,34,4721],"tags":[48978,1875,2806,4297,926,1881,98,4774,50],"class_list":["post-144030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jazz","category-basketball","category-nets","category-cavaliers","category-featured","category-warriors","category-nba","category-news","category-76ers","category-spurs","category-trade-rumors","tag-brandin-podziemski","tag-deandre-hunter","tag-devin-vassell","tag-jonathan-kuminga","tag-lauri-markkanen","tag-naz-reid","tag-nba-draft","tag-rumors","tag-paul-george"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144030"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144053,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144030\/revisions\/144053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}