There has been a lot of chatter going on about the Utah Jazz, and one of the best players is Lauri Markkanen. Everyone has their best and favorite players, but the Finnish player has been rated anywhere between the league’s 15 to 30 best players. Last season, Markkanen averaged 23.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and shot almost 50% overall, from beyond the arc 40% and the judgment line 90%. With a player like that, why in the world would you trade him?
Utah Jazz Trade would follow a pattern
The Utah Jazz didn’t fair so well this last season, ending with a 41-41, leaving them three games away from being in the playoffs.
The Jazz could be trying to sacrifice Lauri and have a mediocre team without a highlighted player like Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks or Nikola Jokic with the Denver Nuggets. Instead, they are going for a more balanced team based on chemistry and teamwork.
With trade rumors surrounding Markkanen right now, it’s anybody’s guess as to the Utah Jazz’s ultimate goal, but Utah has a history of endeavoring to build its team overall by trading some of the best players with high stats.
Jazz has traded Enes Kanter and Steve Novak to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first-round pick and the second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons, along with Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, and Tibor Pleiss.
Other NBA stars like Rudy Gobert and Kanter have publicly expressed wanting to leave the Jazz to simplify their being traded. Their deals didn’t amount to much, but they brought more trade for Utah.
If you look at the awards that Gobert earned, it can appear that the Utah Jazz must be crazy for letting him go. He earned three Defensive Player of the Year awards and two All-Star appearances, and he was the leader for the Jazz in the playoffs for six seasons.
Gobert’s trade led to the first-round pick, which later led to a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, bringing Ricky Rubio to the Delta Center.
There is also the trade of Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten to the Phoenix Suns for Tom Gugliotta for two first-round picks and a 2005 second-round pick. This wasn’t a massive trade in the NBA, but the Jazz did land Gordon Hayward, who was a future all-star at the time but had a sad end with Utah.
Hayward was a powerhouse, playing over 500 games with the Jazz. He scored almost 16 points and averaged just over four rebounds per game. He was also the center of the Jazz’s unbelievable win over the Clippers in the playoffs.
Utah Jazz May Be Trying To Capture Flagg
🚨 Anthony V Slater reveals that the Golden State Warriors have offered the BEST trade package for Lauri Markkanen. 👀
• Anthony Slater on his podcast with Marcus Thompson:
• “Warriors is the most interested team and the one that offered the best package. pic.twitter.com/fAoBENaGMR
— Golden State Dubnation (@GoldenStat70782) July 12, 2024
One trade that did make headlines was when Deron Williams hung up his Jazz jersey for the Nets. He was traded just before the 2011 deadline after some difficulty with the then-head coach, Jerry Sloan. Williams was well on his way to being Utah’s fan favorite before his trade for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, and the two first-round picks.
If the Jazz want to keep this tradition, they may consider trading Lauri for Cooper Flagg. Flagg averages just over 16 points, almost eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks per game.
Nothing has been done yet, and we can keep Lauri Markkanen or endeavor to trade him for a chance at a top-five pick. Or is it plausible that the Jazz keep Markkanen and still strive to get Flagg? Time will tell if the Jazz’s plans will work and take us back to the playoffs or if they will miss them again for another year, causing their fans great pain.
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