Since his Eurobasket Brilliance, the prospect of Utah Jazz trading Lauri Markkanen has only gotten louder. It has grown so fast that experts now predict Utah will pull the trigger on a deal. The team that has been floated most often as a potential destination for the Jazz star is the Detroit Pistons. While they make sense, trading Utah trading period would prove them to be liars.
NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin made five big predictions for the 2025-26 season, with the first being his belief that the Jazz will trade Markkanen to the Pistons.
Helin explained why the Pistons would need Markkanen after the run they just had. However, outlining a potential trade can be a bit difficult for them
“The challenge for Detroit (or any team eyeing him) is matching Markkanen’s $46.4 million salary. Well, that and knowing the Ainge family will have Utah to ask for the world. It’s not that hard to match the salaries for a trade… and the Pistons have first-round picks they can throw.
(For the record, jazz would want him And Ausar Thompson just to keep conversations going, no matter how unrealistic that is.)
Look, the Jazz are tanking and the Pistons are trying to build something special, so it makes sense, but if Utah traded their lone star to Motown, they would be going back on everything they said about Markkanen.
Jazz has said Markkanen isn’t going anywhere
Even before Markkanen restored his excellence at Eurobasket, Utah stated that Markkanen would be on the team long-term. Austin Ainge echoed that sentiment at Jazz Media Day. To put that on the record indicates that Utah believes Markkanen should be on their next playoff team.
That may not necessarily be immediate, but Utah sounds confident in their long-term vision with Markkanen. Many may wonder why they would keep him when they are in a rebuild, but they clearly believe that this phase they are in now won’t last too long. To go back on their word would be quite a shock, as they have made it very public that they want to keep Markkanen.
Things could shift next summer, but it would be shocking for Jazz to trade Markkanen regardless of how much sense it would make. Who do people think the Utah jazz are?
The Dallas Mavericks?!
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