New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Lauri Markkanen to Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns to Atlanta

Will the Utah Jazz trade Lauri Markkanen this offseason?

Mar 18, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) looks to move the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA offseason is officially underway. Free agency began on Sunday night and there has been a flurry of moves since then. The Atlanta Hawks made one of those moves by sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell, and two first-round picks. Since then, the Hawks have been quiet and that is mostly due to limited cap space. Two other teams that have not made any moves are the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. Utah was reportedly discussing trades with Atlanta for either Trae Young or Murray before Murray was dealt, as they were looking to add some players and then try and pursue Paul George in free agency. That did not happen of course and now the talk around Utah has shifted to whether or not they are going to trade All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen.

Markkanen is the best player on the trade market and he is likely to fetch a big return, even if he is in the last year of his deal. One team that had not been mentioned for Markkanen was Minnesota, but Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer did mention Minnesota as a team that would be interested in Markkanen:

"In addition to Golden State, Sacramento and San Antonio have been the two other teams characterized by league figures with knowledge of the situation as strong possible suitors for Markkanen at this point. For the Kings to land Markkanen, NBA personnel believe the Jazz would require Sacramento to part with Keegan Murray, and that might leave other trade options like Brandon Ingram as a more palatable outcome for the Kings. Minnesota has shown interest in Markkanen as well, sources said. Philadelphia never appeared to place real attention on Markkanen throughout the Sixers’ long approach of finding a third star to slot between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey."

If Minnesota wanted Markkanen, I would think they would need a third team. The Timberwolves would likely be trading Karl-Anthony Towns in this scenario and I don't think that Utah would want him in return. If Utah decides to trade Markkanen, they will likely be headed for a complete rebuild with their cache of picks for the future. I could see Utah going the Mikal Bridges trade route and getting back some salary, but mostly doing this for draft picks. Utah's 2025 pick goes to OKC if it falls outside of the top ten and I think they want to make sure they get that pick.

Would Atlanta be interested in being a third-team in a deal between the two teams? The Hawks have quietly built an intriguing roster around Trae Young, but do they need to go and get a second star to make sure they don't fall behind in the Eastern Conference? While I like the moves Atlanta has made, you could argue they are still in the 8-10 range in the East if they kept this team. Could they make a big move?

It should be noted that this is just speculative and a fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made between teams, not what I think a team should definitely do. That is all.

Here is the trade:

Atlanta receives: Karl-Anthony Towns and Walker Kessler

Minnesota receives: Lauri Markkanen and De'Andre Hunter

Utah receives: Clint Capela, Garrison Matthews, 2025 1st round pick from Atlanta (unprotected via the Lakers), 2027 1st round pick from Atlanta (least favorable from either the Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans' own), 2030 1st round pick (via Atlanta), 2028 1st round swap from Minnesota, and a 2025 2nd round pick from Minnesota (via Utah)

I know this seems like a lot and it is unlikely to happen, but let's walk through this.

The Hawks would do this to get a second star next to Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zaccharie Risacher. They move Capela and Hunter off of their books as well. A starting lineup of Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Towns, and Okongwu would move them closer to the top of the East. They would be able to bring Kobe Bufkin, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Risacher, and Kessler off the bench. The Jazz are seemingly ready to move on from Kessler and it might be smart for the Hawks to buy low on him and see what they could develop him into. He is a really good shot blocker and defender, which would be appealing to Atlanta. The downside to this would be getting rid of more picks. The Hawks would not have control of their draft in 2025, 2026, or 2027. Would they give that up for a chance with this lineup? It might be enticing, but I doubt they would give up so many picks again so soon. The Hawks could still move Larry Nance to clear some space up.

If I was Minnesota, this would be a yes. Markkanen might be an upgrade over Towns and they get Hunter to come off the bench. If Minnesota is truly interested in Markkanen, that should signal they think he is an upgrade over Towns. I have doubts over how serious they are about acquiring Markkanen, but they were mentioned as an interested team so it can't be totally ruled out.

Would this be enough for Utah? They already own most of Minnesota's future picks due to the Rudy Gobert trade and now they would add to their treasure chest of picks with some stuff from Atlanta. They would get the Lakers' unprotected pick for next year, giving them potentially four 1st round picks in what is supposed to be a loaded 2025 draft class. Utah could try and tank for Cooper Flagg or another top prospect in next year's class while having enough picks to make moves in the future. Because Markkanen is in the last year of his deal, this could be the best return they get in a trade. Capela and Matthews are expiring deals right now so they are not taking on more money for the future. They can continue to pursue trades for John Collins Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton to acquire more picks.

Is this deal likely to happen? No, but it makes a level of sense for all teams. Atlanta upgrades its roster to try and compete with the top of the East, Minnesota tries to upgrade for a Western Conference run, and Utah gets more picks for a rebuild. There would be more moves for these teams if this went down too. It is just a hypothetical idea though and I think Atlanta and Minnesota are likely to stay out of these kinds of moves this offseason.