Why a Lauri Markkanen trade never happened
Lauri Markkanen was the biggest off season trade target after the free-agency dust settled. Why couldn’t a deal get done with the Spurs or anyone else?
Trade talks and rumors loomed over the Utah Jazz and their Finnish forward, Lauri Markkanen, all summer. The dynamic offensive player, a one-time All-Star and 2023 Most Improved Player was highly sought after by a number of teams, including the San Antonio Spurs, who engaged in “preliminary discussions” with the Jazz per ESPN.
Markkanen, who shot .399 from three last season and averaged 23.2 points with 8.2 rebounds, would have been an ideal fit next to a growing Victor Wembanyama. Listed at seven feet even, he is another big that plays like a versatile wing, similar to Wembanyama. With the Spurs finding success with Wembanyama at the five last season, pairing Markkanen next to him in the power forward spot would have given them a rare tall-ball lineup. That is, a group that has size but can run and play with the dynamics, and shooting of a team playing small-ball.
Thus why the Spurs made the call for Markkanen and many fans were intrigued if not outright rooting for a deal. However, the Spurs and other teams in the market were all met with disappointment when Markkanen signed his extension with the Jazz on August 6th. This eliminated any chance of a deal getting done this season due to CBA restrictions that place a six-month trade hold on a player after a contract extension. The 2025 trade deadline is February 6th, exactly six months from the date of Markkenan’s extension.
For all the murmurs, buzz, and speculation about a Markkanen trade, why didn’t any deal get done? If the Spurs didn’t have the deal Utah wanted, did anybody? The Golden State Warriors were reportedly the most aggressive in trade talks, plus the Sacramento Kings showed interest before ultimately dealing for DeMar DeRozan.
So why didn’t any trade happen?
Danny Ainge wanted a Godfather offer
Famously, current Jazz and former Celtics executive Danny Ainge always has been a tough negotiator. He’s made it clear that he only makes trades where he comes out on top, if not totally fleecing the other team. He was the executive that landed the Celtics Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and then traded them both away for picks that eventually turned into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
For Markkanen, he was probably going to want more than the Spurs or anyone else was willing to offer. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the only offer that was going to move the needle for Utah was something so overwhelming it would force the Jazz to consider it. If the Mikal Bridges-New York Knicks trade earlier this offseason is any market indicator, that means somewhere in the vicinity of five first-round picks and one or two good players. San Antonio has the picks, but were they willing to part with Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, or both along with those picks? Probably not.
They didn’t want to trade him
In line with Danny Ainge’s hardball negotiating, the offer needed to be that much, perhaps too much, purely because the Jazz weren’t all that interested in trading him. At first glance, the rumor mill might have had fans believing that the Jazz were shopping Markkanen — where there’s smoke there’s fire — but they never were. They were merely accepting calls, and listening to offers. There is a big difference between looking for a deal and just hearing out what offers are out there. Per Jones, Shams Charania, and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, “rival executives understood the only way Utah would consider a proposal was if it was overwhelming.”
Markkanen likes it in Utah
Finally, and perhaps the reason that informed the previous two, is that Lauri Markkanen didn’t want to leave Utah, and that carries some weight when considering the Jazz as a franchise. Much like San Antonio, Salt Lake City isn’t a large market, but unlike San Antonio, the Jazz don’t have the historical pedigree that the Spurs do, making it even more difficult to draw in star players. If the Jazz have a star player who has openly expressed how much he likes it there, that isn’t exactly easy to find or easy to part with. The organization can’t be blamed for wanting to hold on to that guy, at least for the time being.
This is then reasserted with his timing when signing the contract extension. His being unavailable quells any and all rumors for at least one full season and tells everyone that he just wants to hoop in Salt Lake City for now.
Down the road
Utah will endure some criticism for not trading him. The argument against keeping Markkanen would be that it could leave the Jazz stuck in the middle. Not bad enough to land high lottery picks but not good enough to make playoff runs. And while that could be true, it’s notable that one year in the NBA can be both forever and a moment. Markkanen is locked into a deal for this season, but a year from now, everything could be different. Ainge could see more potential in a youth movement and be more willing to deal, Markkanen may want a better chance to play for a championship, who knows? For now though, the dust has settled and Markkanen won’t be coming to San Antonio anytime soon.
