Will this be the season that the Utah Jazz finally trade Lauri Markkanen? According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, there is a belief that the Jazz are open to trading their former All-Star forward. After years of trade speculation for the 28-year-old, who has averaged 23 points in his three years in Utah, the Memphis Grizzlies have a shot at securing their championship window.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are both entering their prime at age 26 this season with mostly younger developmental talent surrounding them. While that might be the play, given the Oklahoma City Thunder won a championship with one of the youngest teams in league history, passing up on an opportunity to add Markkanen to their roster would be doing their All-Star duo a disservice.
The Grizzlies spent this offseason with the approach of taking a step back to propel forward, and can take that step forward sooner than thought if Markkanen is truly available for trade.
The Grizzlies have the draft capital to make a move
The Utah Jazz have been rebuilding since acquiring Markkanen in the 2022 offseason in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for their former star Donovan Mitchell. As good as Lauri Markkanen has been when he has played for the Jazz, injuries have limited him to 102 total games over the last two seasons, which has led them to 31 and 17 wins, respectively.
Their team keeps getting younger every season, leading many to assume they would want high draft picks to trade their star. Well, the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane for a plethora of draft picks, including the Phoenix Suns' pick next year. If the 'Suns' expectations come true, they will be one of the worst teams in the West, along with the Jazz, making their pick very valuable.
Also, trading Bane split his big contract into lesser tradeable salaries that can be used in match salaries when needed in a trade scenario for a player of Markkanen's caliber. The Grizzlies' questions with their youth at the wing position would be solved if they could find a way to obtain the career 37% shooter from three.
Another advantage the Grizzlies can have is the Finnish connection between head coach Tuomas Iisalo and Lauri Markkanen. ClutchPoints mentioned a rumor about the Grizzlies' interest in Markkanen earlier in the offseason, but that was before it appeared the Jazz were making him available.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked into their deals for at least the next three seasons, so the Grizzlies are looking to win now. There doesn't appear to be a bigger win-now move for this team to make than getting Lauri Markkanen this season.