Four Lauri Markkanen trade ideas

Trade rumors have recently started ramping up for Lauri Markkanen. We’ve seen multiple national reporters and writers talk about it. The biggest was probably Zach Lowe on his recent podcast, where he talked about Lauri Markkanen and all the teams he thinks will be interested in Markkanen. Here are some trade ideas based on Zach Lowe’s list of teams.

Detroit Pistons trade idea

Detroit Pistons receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz receive: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland, 2029 1st, 2031 1st

Why the Utah Jazz do it

Utah is still on a rebuild timeline, and Lauri Markkanen does not fit what the Jazz are trying to accomplish currently. Lauri Markkanen ended up in the 50s in the most recent NBA player rankings on The Ringer. It’s a little low considering Markkanen made an all-star team pretty recently, as well as being on a tanking roster. Replacing Markkanen’s contract with a young prospect like Ivey, who was showing real promise last season before his injury, would be a fantastic pickup. Getting Ron Holland means the Jazz get a tough-nosed defender with some potential upside on the offensive end. They also get two unprotected future picks that could potentially become something nice.

Utah also gets an expiring contract in Tobias Harris that can help keep their books clean. If Utah can get a top-3 pick in the upcoming draft, they will then be in a position to go after free agents that fit the needs around their young players.

Why the Detroit Pistons do it

Yes, Markkanen shot the ball surprisingly badly last season. That said, Markkanen just came off a fantastic EuroBasket and would fit perfectly next to a star like Cade Cunningham. Markkanen has proven he is not the #1 option on a championship contender, but he does have potential to be a fantastic option playing off a star. He could open everything up for the Detroit Pistons’ offense, which is missing shooting. Markkanen will surely take things to another level when he has Cade Cunningham taking the brunt of defensive assignments. On top of all that, the Eastern Conference is wide open with the Celtics and Pacers missing their stars due to injury this year. It’s a steep price for Markkanen, but it could pay off in a huge way.

Would I do it?

Yes. Getting Jaden Ivey would be a fantastic building block to build next to Ace Bailey. It’s possible that he could even play next to Walter Clayton Jr. Although, what’s more likley is that Jaden Ivey can be a more modern 1 in the NBA with his nice size and athleticism and with the Jazz they could give him the freedom to develop those gifts into usable parts of his skillset.

Miami Heat trade idea

Miami Heat receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz receive: Terry Rozier, Simone Fontecchio, Kasparas Jakucionis, Keshad Johnson, and three first-round picks

Why the Utah Jazz do it

This trade nets the Jazz a nice, young prospect in Kasparas Jakucionis and draft picks. It also gets them some significant expiring money in Terry Rozier, who would be very unlikely to play for Utah at any point. This also creates a reunion with the Jazz with Simone Fontecchio. Although if I’m Utah, I look for a third team as a trade partner to make sure that Fontecchio isn’t taking minutes from Ace Bailey.

Why the Miami Heat do it

The Heat receive Lauri Markkanen who can fix their shooting problems in a major way. Miami is in desperate need of shooting and efficiency on offense. Having a floor spreader like Markkanen will help them in a big way. This move doesn’t likely make the Heat contenders, but it is the type of move that can make a playoff appearance in the East much more likely.

Would I do it?

Probably. The major win in this for the Jazz is that they are able to attain that top-8 pick in the draft while also getting some nice assets in return. These are all going to be likely late 1sts but Utah has proven they can turn those into better picks with draft night trades. You also never know when one of these seasons turns into a season from hell for one of these teams. Miami drafted Jakucionis at 20 and if all these picks turned out to be the #20 pick, that’s not bad. There are a lot of role players at 20 that can be found. I know that Jazz fans aren’t going to like to hear that they’re getting role players for Markkanen, but there’s more to this than just simply what the picks turn out to be. This helps ensure a better draft position come lottery night and after. The Jazz’s best asset continues to be their own picks, something they seem to finally understand after the last two seasons of misdirection.

Portland Trail Blazers trade idea

Portland Trail Blazers receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz receive: Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, Milwaukee 2028 swap rights, Milwaukee swap rights in 2030, 2030 Portland 1st

Why the Utah Jazz do it

The Jazz don’t receive a building block player in this move, but they do get some very interesting draft assets. Normally, pick swaps don’t tend to be the most valuable. But when it’s the right swap, it can really change your team, just ask Boston with their swaps from Brooklyn that netted (I’m sorry) them Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. These swaps likely come post Giannis and it’s not likely the Bucks are as good at that time. There’s some real lottery pick potential with those. They also give the Jazz an unprotected pick in 2030. These three draft assets are why Utah does this as well as improving draft position this season.

Why the Portland Trail Blazers do it

The Blazers get a great player in Lauri Markkanen and don’t have to give up a young prospect, just draft capital. This will definitely improve their team depth and offensive firepower.

Would I do it?

Probably not. I wanted to put Scoot Henderson in this trade, I’m still a believer in what he can become, but I’m guessing the Blazers do too and that’s why he probably doesn’t get included. They also are left in the same boat that the Jazz are in right now with some big question marks with who their primary playmaker is for the future.

Toronto Raptors trade idea

Toronto Raptors receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz receive: Collin Murray-Boyles, Ochai Agbaji, Brandon Ingram, Toronto 2026 1st, Toronto 2030 1st

Why the Utah Jazz do this

Utah gets two young prospects, with the best being Murray-Boyles. They also get two 1sts from a Toronto team that hasn’t been much of anything since Kawhi left. They do end up replacing one bad contract in Markkanen’s with another in Ingram’s. But it’s not likely Ingram moves the needle too much for the Jazz with his lack defense, the thing that has been the biggest issue for the Jazz.

Why the Toronto Raptors do this

They get a high level player that would be perfect playing off of Scottie Barnes. Markkanen would spread the floor for Toronto and would likely be interested in staying there long term. Toronto is not likely to miss Ingram either whose play style would clash with Barnes.

Would I do it?

No. To me, the prize of this, unless the picks pan out as lottery winners, is getting Murray-Boyles. I REALLY like him as a defensive prospect and ball mover on offense. That said, I don’t like him enough to watch Ace Bailey miss out on touches to watch Ingram take 20 semi-efficient midrangers every night.