NBA Trade Rumor: Jazz Were 'Close' on Lauri Markkanen Deal With Kings

The Utah Jazz could be preparing for a massive move...

Dec 28, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) celebrates with Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

It's all Lauri Markkanen trade rumors when talking about the Utah Jazz this summer, with all eyes honed in on a potential deal coming to form surrounding the one-time All-Star.

Despite Utah remaining resolute in their stance to try and keep Markkanen in the fold for the long haul, it's not stopping other teams from trying their hand at an attempt to acquire him. As the offseason has continued to progress, more and more teams have seemingly shown interest in the 27-year-old forward, which makes you ponder if something substantial could be in the works.

And while nothing concrete has come to form just yet, it seems like there may have been a trade that nearly became a reality.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, Utah and the Sacramento Kings have been involved in talks with Markkanen, and there may have been a deal that was "close" to going down:

"The Sacramento Kings, to my knowledge, earlier this week, were close to a deal. I do think that, based off the conversations I've had... Utah prefers to keep Lauri and re-negotiate and extend him. They can't do that though, until August 6th. So, why not spend the next month fielding offers? Utah is conducting their business with a 10% chance they're going to move him, but you're telling me there's a chance?"

- Jake Fischer, Yahoo! Sports

.@YourManDevine and @JakeLFischer detail how likely a Lauri Markkanen trade is 👀 pic.twitter.com/fDluNXzlIG

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) July 3, 2024

The Kings have been pinned as a team looking for another spark of star power to pair alongside De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis this offseason, and it looks as if Markkanen could be the one that's on their radar. Even with that interest though, it's going to be a tough endeavor to pry him away from the Jazz.

Utah's sentiment around a Markkanen deal has remained firm since rumors of his potential departure came about; they don't want to trade him, so if you want him on your team, you're going to have to make them pull the trigger with an offer Danny Ainge can't refuse. As of now, no one has seemed to meet those requirements.

Sending out a package that the Jazz are willing to accept would have to be substantial, but it's not impossible to see come to fruition. The New York Knicks just sent out a godfather offer of multiple unprotected first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in order to bring in Mikal Bridges, who hasn't even made an All-Star appearance during his six years in the league.

It's that caliber of a deal that would be necessary, but it remains to be seen if anyone around the NBA is willing to cough up that premium, even for a star-hungry team like Sacramento.

Expect trade rumors revolving the Jazz's prized jewel to continue up until the window for his re-negotiation hits in early August.

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