The more Lauri Markkanen looks like a star again, the more trade value he has for the Utah Jazz. Even last we checked the Jazz have every intention of retaining Markkanen, that won’t stop the rumors. One team that has recently been floated as a destination for Markkanen is the Boston Celtics.
Shortly after the Jazz defeated the team that won the title two years ago, Chris Mannix explained why Markkanen would be a good fit in Boston.
“He’s currently averaging 30 and six this season… Can you imagine Markkanen playing next to Tatum and Brown for the next three years?… That’s the guy I absolutely love on the Celtics. And that’s a guy you know will probably be available at some point.”
Mannix compared Markkanen to ex-Celtic Kristaps Porzingis. While there are some similarities, Markkanen is not a rim protector and is much more reliable health-wise than Porzingis. He also brought up that Markkanen thrives in winning situations. As Jazz fans know, Markkanen has never been to the playoffs.
Nothing Mannix says here is wrong about Markkanen’s potential fit in Boston. Pairing a big man with the scoring finesse he has alongside two of the best and most successful two-way wings would make Boston difficult to stop (next season).
However, a trade with Boston wouldn’t be that easy for Utah.
What could the Celtics offer for Markkanen?
The Celtics would have to match salaries to acquire Markkanen, which would be quite a hassle considering he is expected to make over $46 million this season. Anfernee Simons’ expiring deal has some value (if the Jazz emphasize maximum flexibility), but it would also take Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard to make the deal work.
And if we’re being realistic, the Jazz would likely demand Derrick White in the deal, someone Boston would be reluctant to give up. Boston doesn’t exactly have the most exciting young talent to offer Utah either, but the team already has its draft assets, as Brad Stevens (previously) has impressively built a title contender without giving up too many draft picks to build him.
Boston’s salary cap is also above the NBA’s first tax apron. While they can merge salaries, they cannot take back more salary in any industry. That means the Jazz would potentially have to take more money in a Markkanen trade with the Celtics.
Even if that weren’t the case, the Jazz want that more design assets when they already have enough? At this stage, Utah wants the quality of its assets to improve, and having too many assets could be a problem if it starts to get serious about building its next playoff team (any trade partner could demand more assets than necessary if the opportunity arises).
Markkanen for the Celtics sounds exciting, but we’re not even at the point where Markkanen becomes available, and if we were, the Jazz would certainly look elsewhere before even considering calling up Stevens.
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