Jazz Trade Proposal Sends Lauri Markkanen to Thunder for Haul of Picks

If the Utah Jazz ultimately decide to part ways with their All-Star, this might not be too bad of a return.

Among the most prominent NBA trade narratives that have been in the works recently involves the Utah Jazz’s very own Lauri Markkanen. While he was previously perceived as "untouchable," recent developments have put that status into question.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, Markkanen is believed to be "no longer untouchable in trade conversations," opening the gates to a deal potentially being in play.

While the Jazz are reportedly not actively pursuing a trade involving the Finnish forward, teams are expected to test willingness in Utah to make something happen. If a package is enticing enough, we may see a surprise going down.

‘Acceptable’ trade offer for Jazz F Lauri Markkanen to resemble Mitchell, Gobert deals of past, per report https://t.co/TbNSyn8tbV

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 18, 2023

One of the teams that may have an interest in acquiring Markkanen could be the Oklahoma City Thunder, recent reports linked them to having an interest in a potential trade for him, and the franchise has more than enough assets to pool into a deal.

With a rumored asking price of around “five-ish first” according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, a potential deal could look something like this:

Utah Jazz receive:

Cason Wallace, Ousmane Dieng, Davis Bertans, 2024 FRP (via UTA), 2024 FRP (via HOU), 2025 FRP (via PHI),  2027 FRP (via OKC), 2029 FRP (via OKC)

Oklahoma City Thunder receive:

Lauri Markkanen, Talen Horton-Tucker

In this blockbuster, the Jazz get back an immense amount of draft capital in return for their 1x All-Star. In combination with the picks, they also get back two lottery selections within the past two seasons. It effectively gives the team some of the best future outlooks in the entire league, charged with young talent for the next half-decade.

It’s a lot to ask for, but when discussing a deal with Lauri, this is the type of return that would need to happen. Not many teams have the capital to facilitate this big of a swing, but the Thunder stick out as one of the few that could get it done.

Utah also receives full control of their first-round pick for this offseason, which is currently in possession of OKC and top-10 protected. Instead of riding through the season and hoping the lottery falls this team’s way for the draft, this allows Danny Ainge to have complete control and more flexibility.

For the Thunder, this gives their squad an elite frontcourt pairing of Markkanen and Chet Holmgren to move forward with for at least the next two seasons. It further bolsters their title chances and makes them one of the most competitive rosters in the Western Conference.

A hiccup may be OKC’s ability to re-sign Markkanen once his contract expires in the summer of 2025. With money tied up, or soon tied up into cornerstones like Chet, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Josh Giddey may make it difficult to extend Lauri further than a couple of years.

If OKC was committed to Markkanen long-term, though, a type of deal like this could not only make sense but also be the missing piece to their title hopes.

Again, while seeing the Jazz part ways with Markkanen seems far from the most likely outcome, a type of package like this would have to make Ainge think twice about it. As trade season continues, fans will get more clearance surrounding what will happen with Salt Lake City’s star.

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