Potential Trade Destinations for Lauri Markkanen

Many peers from around the league believe Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz could be available for the right price. Despite Markkanen expressing his contentment with staying in Utah and the Jazz making other players for trade, one still must wonder if the Jazz are ready to go into a full rebuild. The one-time All-Star is not letting the rumors get to him.

“Yeah. And I’ve been traded, I guess, technically three times with draft night included,” said Markkanen. “Sometimes I knew about it. Sometimes I didn’t. So I kind of learned the business side of basketball. I’ve kind of learned to just go day by day and really put the work in and try to play to the best of my abilities and whatever happens happens, really. Like I said, I love being in Utah and it’s a compliment of what you’ve done in the past (that teams have interest). We’ll see. But yeah, I just want to emphasize that I really believe in what we’re building here with the Jazz. Go day by day. Do your best. That’s all you can do.”

There will certainly be a market for Markkanen if the Jazz do publicly make him available.

Possible Landing Spots for Lauri Markkanen if Traded

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are an interesting squad on the rise. They are a dark horse in the Eastern Conference and the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton has elevated their play. Indiana could still use a reliable wing player and Markkanen would form a nice star duo with Haliburton. He would be a seamless fit into a Pacers offense. An offense that is currently first in team scoring at 127.4 points per game.

Memphis Grizzlies

With Ja Morant coming back from suspension soon, now is as good of a time as any for the Grizzlies to net some reinforcements. Despite the horrid start to the campaign, there is still plenty of season left for Memphis to go a run and potentially make the play-in tournament. It remains to be seen how good of a fit Lauri Markkanen would be on the Grizzlies, but the team is also at a point where they must try something drastic. As if that was not enough, Markkanen would also fill a need at the wing position. Something that has been a cause for concern for Memphis for years now.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are a team many are just one piece away from being true contenders. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking like a legitimate MVP candidate. Plus, Chet Holmgren could very well be the Rookie of the Year. The Thunder are another team who could use an offensive maestro at the wing position. Not to mention, the Thunder have a bevy of draft picks they could utilize in a possible trade package for the Finnish All-Star. On top of this, Markkanen would also provide some much-needed size for Oklahoma City, something that has been an Achilles heel for them this season. It still remains to be seen whether Lauri Markkanen will actually be traded. However, expect these three teams to be in the mix if he is put on the trade block.