The indications have been the same since 2024: the Utah Jazz’s plan to keep Lauri Markkanen. As for the justification for that position, you’d think it’s because Markkanen is on a historical tear. However, a major reason why a trade doesn’t go through is something that doesn’t get enough attention: Markkanen does duration.
And not just expensive in the sense of what he would cost an interested suitor, but that teams wouldn’t be too happy paying him what the Jazz are paying him. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints confirmed this when discussing the prospect of a Markkanen transaction.
“Markkanen’s value has taken a hit as his cap numbers have increased dramatically as few teams can pursue him for $46.3 million this season. This is currently considered one of the worst contracts in the league, strictly from a numbers perspective, as Markkanen is definitely a talent that could help a lot of contenders right now,” Siegel wrote.
Paying that much for someone who is undoubtedly a difference-maker but never considered a surefire superstar is a bigger risk than people think. Teams might be more than willing to take on such a deal if Markkanen were closer to the end of his contract, but since he just entered the first year of a four-year contract. In the final year of his deal, he will owe more than $53 million.
That’s a lot of money to pay in the long run.
So why were the Jazz even willing to give him that? Because in addition to how good he is under their system, they also have the flexibility to do that long-term. He is the only Jazzman on their books for the foreseeable future.
Any interested suitor probably wouldn’t have that luxury if they wanted the Jazz star.
The Jazz should not change their position on Markkanen for this reason
Many have laughed at the idea of Utah’s plans to retain Markkanen because it would make sense on paper for them to trade an All-Star big in his prime. However, the Jazz would inevitably ask for the farm for Markkanen, on top of the kind of money any suitor would have to inherit if he agreed to a trade.
Therefore, it might not be so ridiculous to claim that Markkanen remains a Jazzman no matter what. It will be hard enough to find a package that Utah’s front office deems right for him, but teams might be reluctant to pay the guy that much money even if the Jazz had to drop his price tag.
Keeping Markkanen will likely divide fans, as no one knows how that decision will affect the Jazz’s future, but if Utah didn’t think staying with him was an option, they never would have paid him. Time will tell if they made the right choice in this case, but whether fans like it or not, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe he’ll be anywhere else in the near future.
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