48, 31, and 42 -- that's how many points Lauri Markkanen has scored in three games for Finland. He's dominating Eurobasket play, averaging 40.3 points per game while shooting an incredibly efficient 69 percent from the field and 54 percent from three.
Markkanen is just two seasons removed from being an All-Star in the stacked Western Conference, and certainly still looks the part this summer. Now, the Portland Trail Blazers and other teams across the league are eagerly waiting for the Utah Jazz to figure out that this is the best time to trade him.
Lauri Markkanen boosts trade value with Eurobasket dominance
Utah just had the worst record in the association at 17-65. Their rebuilding timeline doesn't align with that of a 28-year-old star. Although Markkanen is coming off a down season in which he averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 42/35/88 shooting splits, he instantly restored his trade value with his play for Finland.
Of course, the downside is that teams like the Blazers may have to sacrifice more assets to land Markkanen. However, general manager Joe Cronin has shown that he's willing to include valuable draft capital to acquire a player if he's the right fit, as was the case in Portland's Deni Avdija deal. That should be the case for Markkanen as well.
The obvious difference between Avdija and Markkanen as trade targets -- which could make the latter relatively easier to acquire -- is their contracts. Deni has a front-loaded contract that is among the best values in the league, while Lauri is owed $195.9 million over the next four years.
Markkanen is justifying that hefty salary this summer, and Portland has shown they're willing to take on large contracts if it helps them get closer to the postseason -- they just traded for 35-year-old Jrue Holiday, who's owed $104.4 million over the next three years.
Lauri Markkanen would be the perfect Jerami Grant upgrade
Portland could even flip Holiday (again) for Markkanen now that he's more expendable following Damian Lillard's surprising return. Or better yet, they could upgrade at forward, using Jerami Grant's contract to help get closer to making the salaries match in a deal (a straight one-for-one swap of Grant for Markkanen wouldn't work).
Markkanen would provide Portland with a better version of Grant in terms of someone who can give even more length and floor spacing for a Blazers roster in dire need of shooting. He's also a significantly better rebounder than Grant and, most importantly, is someone Portland can effectively run offense through -- as evidenced by his recent Eurobasket performances.
Grant and Markkanen are in similar situations in terms of being highly paid veterans on rebuilding teams. But those teams are headed in opposite directions. Utah is taking a patient rebuilding approach around Ace Bailey and others, while Portland is making win-now moves to end a four-year playoff drought.
In that sense, a Grant-Markkanen deal could make sense to help both teams accomplish their respective goals. The Jazz take on Grant's contract and sell high on Markkanen for future assets, while the Blazers add more star power to help get closer to the postseason.
Now, they need Utah to figure out that trading Markkanen is in their best interest.