Today in NBA Trade Rumors! Lauri Markkanen trade rumor? Indeed!
If there is one thing that’s clear this last offseason, it’s that the Detroit Pistons want Lauri Markkanen. We’ve seen what a potential trade could look like, something like Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland, and Tobias Harris plus picks, for Markkanen. What’s clear is that this is definitely the offer from the Pistons side. But what about what the Jazz would want in this offer?
Well, Jake Fischer on the Stein Line provided some insight.
Another
likely obstacle that should be factored into the persistent Markkanen- to-Detroit speculation: Utah would almost certainly want Thompson in return. Sources say that the Jazz, in fact, considered trading up to select him during the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Pistons, as you can imagine, do not want to trade their Thompson twin.
The Jazz hope to be competitive in 2026-27 and have signaled to rival teams
that any trade offers they are prepared to consider — whether they target
Markkanen or otherwise — have to keep them competitive. Utah, in other
words, is not looking for a repeat of the Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell
deals that focused on stockpiling draft compensation. Markkanen indeed
became an All-Star after Utah acquired him and it’s believed that the Jazz
greatly value his capability to lead them back to postseason play.
It’s very clear that the Jazz were interested in Ausar Thompson in that draft. Instead of just tanking from the start of that season and just drafting him, the Jazz had other “plans.” What’s interesting is that they could still end up with Thompson now if the Pistons relent and trade him to the Jazz.
For those who may think it’s not possible, it’s clear that Markkanen has some fans in the Detroit front office. From Fischer:
And, yes, rival executives have frequently suggested Utah’s Lauri Markkanen
as an ideal player for the Pistons to target.
You can understand why, too. Utah dangled Markkanen on the trade block
two summers ago before inking the high-scoring forward to a massive
extension. Then last June, Detroit was said to be weighing free agent runs at
a variety of 7-foot floor spacers, from Naz Reid to Myles Turner and Santi
Aldama. Want more connections between Detroit and Markkanen? Don’t
forget that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff coached Markkanen in
Cleveland. Also: Before the Finnish flamethrower even got to the Cavaliers
via the first sign-and-trade of his career, sources say Pistons lead decision-
maker Trajan Langdon — then with New Orleans as a top aide to David
Griffin — was pushing for the Pelicans to pursue Markkanen as a restricted
free agent.
As always, it’s fun finding out after the fact that the reporting about the Jazz being uninterested in a trade turned out to be untrue. The Jazz 100% dangled Markkanen but didn’t get what they wanted.
Now, the same thing is happening. But the Jazz just might get that prized prospect in Ausar, who has 1st team all-defense potential.
And for the Jazz, who are saying they are competing next year, getting someone like Ausar Thompson can change the face of the team with an elite defensive player who could pair with other defensive players on the roster.
Finally, the biggest win out of a trade like this for the Jazz, aside from a nice prospect and picks, is that their most important asset this season will improve: their own draft pick.
It’s the concept that fans never seem to understand. Utah’s best asset right now is the potential to draft an all-world talent in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. That’s THE most important thing for Utah right now, who is sitting at #9 in the lottery standings, which would give the Thunder their pick. Utah now knows that with this current roster, which is 100% designed to make Lauri Markkanen the focal point of everything, at best, it is a 5-10 team. And that’s with an easy schedule to start the season. Utah has to wake up, get this pick solidified, and worry about next season … next season.
