Zach Lowe and Rob Mahoney recently discussed potential trade partners for the Utah Jazz and Lauri Markkanen on The Zach Lowe Show. Lowe believes Markkanen will get moved this year and mentions the Portland Trail Blazers as one of the best fits, along with the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors, among others.
For Portland, Lowe notes that the trade package could include Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III, and draft capital.
Should the Blazers pursue Lauri Markkanen?
Grant is a negative asset at this point in his career, but it would be necessary to include him as a salary filler. The only other option to make this work financially would be for the Blazers to include Jrue Holiday, a player who would be significantly easier for Utah to flip. However, the Blazers traded for Jrue with the intention of keeping him in Portland this time around. If Portland were to make a splash for an All-Star talent like Markkanen, keeping Holiday around would make more sense as they look to make that playoff push.
With Grant being the likelier piece to be included, Portland would have to attach significant draft picks to get Utah to sign off on this deal. Williams' injury history unfortunately makes him unreliable, and his value has drastically dipped since the Blazers acquired him in the initial Holiday deal. Meanwhile, Markkanen's value has increased with his impressive EuroBasket play this summer.
Why Markkanen is a perfect fit for the Blazers
Markkanen would provide the Blazers with a significant upgrade at forward as he'd be a more efficient, better rebounding version of Grant. Only a handful of seven-footers in the league have his offensive skillset and range from beyond the arc, which are two areas Portland's roster desperately still needs to address. Not only would the Blazers finally have their (borderline) All-Star solution, but it's also a rare complementary star who would aid the development of their young core, particularly with his floor spacing.
Ultimately, whether Portland agrees to this trade package would come down to how many draft picks they have to include. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin made a similar trade when he acquired Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards. That's already paid off as Avdija has quickly emerged as a building block in Portland. Markkanen's massive contract is the notable difference, but if Portland deems him to be a perfect fit, it could be worth sacrificing draft capital to land another core piece.