NBA Trade Rumors: Lauri Markkanen linked with Eastern Conference upstarts to partner with $269,085,780 star guard

The Utah Jazz are in a rebuild mode, and as such, it only makes sense that they look to make the most of their tradeable assets.

Ever since he left the Chicago Bulls, Lauri Markkanen has blossomed into a solid three-level scorer and rebounder, and he’s the type of stretch forward that multiple contending teams could covet.

With that in mind, Michael Pina of The Athletic put together a trade proposal that could send him back to the Eastern Conference. More specifically, he could be on his way to the Detroit Pistons.

In this scenario, an offer consisting of Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris’s expiring contract, Bobi Klintman, and two first-round picks could be enough to get him to Motor City:

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"The Jazz get more draft capital and a speedy, high-upside, 23-year-old building block to clarify their rebuild," writes Pina. "From the Pistons’ perspective, there’s one big question that needs answering: How good would they actually be? Put Markkanen at the 4 beside Jalen Duren (21 years old), Ausar Thompson (22 years old), and Cunningham (23 years old)."

The Pistons have already committed to Cunningham, who's signed to a five-year, $269,085,780 contract.

The former No. 1 pick has gotten better every year, and the team proved to be ready to take a leap in the first year of the J.B. Bickerstaff era. Adding a floor-spacing forward next to their defensive stalwarts could give them one of the most exciting frontcourts in the game.

As for the Jazz, they'd get a young stud to build around in Jaden Ivey and multiple draft assets.

The Warriors almost traded for Markkanen

It's not the first time that the Finnish star has been tangled up in multiple trade rumors, and the Jazz have been overly protective of him.

Back in August of 2024, The Athletic reported that the Golden State Warriors actually made quite a compelling offer. However, not including Brandin Podziemski was reportedly a deal-breaker:

"The Warriors made the most aggressive offer, centered around Moses Moody, multiple first-round picks, pick swaps and second-rounders, team sources from both sides said. Utah wanted Brandin Podziemski in any theoretical deal," the report read.

Now, with the Warriors scrambling to improve the team around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, and given their stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga, perhaps they will want to revisit this idea.

Podziemski had a down year, at least according to expectations, averaging just 11.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 44% from the floor.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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