Former Arizona Wildcats Star Not Leaving Utah Jazz Any Time Soon
There are a ton of former Arizona Wildcats players in the NBA.
Another one who will be starting his career during the upcoming 2024-25 season is Pelle Larsson after he ended up with the Miami Heat following being selected No. 44 overall in the 2024 NBA draft.
There was another former Wildcat who was in the news a lot recently.
Lauri Markkanen, who played one year at Arizona before heading to the NBA, was the center of multiple trade rumors.
Entering the final season of his contract with the Utah Jazz, Markkanen was arguably the best player available on the trade market. The Jazz were at a crossroads, as they could either pay their All-Star big man and make him part of their core, or trade him and jump headfirst into the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes for the upcoming NBA draft.
Utah chose the former.
Earlier this week, they agreed to a five-year, $238 million near-max extension that includes $220 million of new money.
Markkanen has developed into a vital part of the team’s rebuild after acquiring him from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster during the 2022 offseason. His performance has taken off in Salt Lake City, as he has averaged 24.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.8 minutes per game.
An extremely talented offensive player, Markkanen can beat his opponents at all three levels of the court. Standing at 7-feet tall, he can punish smaller opponents near the basket and in post-up scenarios. He also excels away from the basket, shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range in his career, and 39.5 percent with the Jazz.
By agreeing to that extension, Markkanen won’t have to deal with trade rumors in the short term.
He is ineligible to be moved, as the earliest that the team can trade him is after the deadline of this upcoming season.
Markkanen was originally drafted into the league out of Arizona by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He spent four seasons with the Bulls before signing with the Cavaliers in 2021. He spent one year there before being dealt to Utah.
