CBS Sports' Sam Quinn proposed five possible post-lottery deals. Two involved the Portland Trail Blazers, a team to closely monitor this offseason. However, one deal was much more intriguing for Portland than the other. The one the Trail Blazers must avoid at all costs has them making an aggresive all-in move for Lauri Markkanen.
Here is the deal in full:
The first-round picks the Trail Blazers would be sending back are their No. 11 overall pick in 2025, as well as the most and least favorable of Milwaukee, Portland, and Washington's first-round picks in 2029.
Lauri Markkanen is worth targeting, but not if it derails the Blazers' rebuild
This would be quite the haul for the Utah Jazz, who should strongly consider moving Markkanen this summer. Not only does he not quite fit their rebuilding timeline at 27 years old, but he's also owed roughly $196 million over the next four years.
Utah's young core is promising but similar to Portland's in that they lack star upside and have an unproven backcourt. Pairing their own No. 5 overall pick with the Trail Blazers' No. 11 selection would give them a golden opportunity to add someone like Tre Johnson and a frontcourt replacement in Derik Queen.
But the Jazz improving their rebuild comes at the Trail Blazers' expense in this lopsided deal.
Markkanen is a star worth pursuing as they look to get back to playoff relevancy after missing out on the past four postseasons. He's also a good fit as he'd provide valuable floor spacing, perfectly complementing Donovan Clingan's interior presence and players like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deni Avdija, who all like to get downhill.
Seven-footers who can shoot the ball and have his skillset are a rare commodity in the NBA, and he'd fix the Trail Blazers' biggest weakness (shooting) while bolstering their identity (length). However, this is too steep of a price to pay for Markkanen.
His contract isn't ideal to take on, especially under the new CBA, which forces teams to be much more selective with which stars they financially commit to. And while he was an All-Star in 2023, he's also coming off a down year in which he averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 42/35/88 shooting splits.
Markkanen is someone to pursue, but only if it's a buy-low opportunity. The Trail Blazers would be paying a premium for a player who has recently underperformed, is on a massive deal, and is better served as a third option on a contending team.
There's even a chance that the Trail Blazers make this all-in move for Markkanen and still don't make the playoffs next season, given how much stronger teams in the already loaded Western Conference will be next year.
Portland must ensure that if they are making this aggressive move, it's for a true superstar who can be their go-to option. Otherwise, it would just unnecessarily set back their rebuild.