In the latest Stein Line, Marc Stein reiterated his latest on the Lauri Markkanen situation.
From Stein:
Reminder: The Jazz, as Jake and I have been reporting in recent weeks, have left numerous teams with the impression that they want to keep Markkanen and add around him rather than part with him.
For a long time, it was clear that other teams felt like they could get Lauri Markkanen if they wanted. Now, it’s very clear that the Jazz are going to build this team with Lauri Markkanen as part of it. It makes sense if the Jazz can make sure they keep their pick in the upcoming draft. Utah is not a very good basketball team yet but they do have some nice young pieces. Not getting another young piece with a bad team like this would be disastrous. It’s why everyone has wondered if they might trade Markkanen.
Now, if Utah can somehow maneuver this season like last season again, they can go for it next year because they’ll own their pick next season. Yes, Utah has talked about not manipulating lineups, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too this season. Maybe the Jazz can call it something else. Evolving lineups? Lineup discovery? Whatever they do, if they keep Markkanen, they have to do it while keeping their pick. It’s going to be interesting to see how Utah does that as the season goes along.
