Lauri Markkanen is having a career season, sparking trade rumors that a rebuilding Utah Jazz team may be willing to sell high on its star. The Portland Trail Blazers stole Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards in a similar scenario, and Markkanen would've been another ideal piece to add to this up-and-coming core. However, the Jazz are more likely to acquire talent than trade Markkanen (subscription), according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
"Difficult as it can be for rival teams to read the intentions of a front office that now houses Austin Ainge as well as Danny Ainge, more teams than not that we speak to are increasingly convinced that the Jazz are more likely to try to add to their Markkanen-led core this Trade Season rather than trade Markkanen away," Stein reports.
Lauri Markkanen would've been perfect in Portland
Markkanen boosted his trade value with a strong EuroBasket performance over the summer. He's carried that momentum over to this season with Utah, averaging 28.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 47/36/90 shooting splits.
While we would explore trade options if we were Utah, it's hard to fault them for wanting to keep that level of talent around, especially one that "unabashedly loves Salt Lake City," as Stein added.
It remains to be seen if the Blazers had interest in Markkanen, but they should've, considering his perfect fit for this roster. The Finnish seven-footer would've bolstered Portland's length while providing them with much-needed floor spacing and shot creation, serving as an ideal co-star alongside Deni Avdija.
Alas, Portland will have to look elsewhere for star power to help end its four-year playoff drought.
Several guards have emerged as potential trade candidates early on, including Trae Young, Ja Morant, and LaMelo Ball. While none of those flawed stars are as intriguing as Markkanen, it does help that Portland's backcourt is the most pressing roster question as they look for long-term options to prepare for life after Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. The Blazers will want to wait and see what they have in Scoot Henderson when he returns from injury before making such a significant decision.
As a team that has emphasized a long-term approach, it wouldn't be surprising if the Blazers wait to make a considerable splash until the right fit comes along. The last thing they want to do is rush this rebuilding process, adding an imperfect solution as a brute force method to return to the postseason, limiting their ceiling as contenders in the process.
Markkanen's fit would've justified such a move, but that now appears to be off the table.