Knicks Could Pay Hefty Price for Dream Target

An anonymous NBA general manager has found the New York Knicks' "dream target" but he won't come easy.

Dec 13, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) posts up against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

It's deja vu all over again because the New York Knicks may be pursuing another Utah Jazz star this summer.

Two years after the futile (but perhaps rebooted?) bid to land Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks could set their sights on current Salt Lake City franchise face Lauri Markkanen.

The Jazz sits in an awkward spot between competing for the Westen Conference Play-In Tournament bids and a complete post-Mitchell rebuild. Trading Markkanen, a breakout star in the wake of Mitchell's defection to Cleveland, would no doubt tip off a full-scale rebuild but it would also afford Utah some clarity on its franchise timeline.

Speaking to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, an anonymous NBA general manager says that the Knicks are one of the teams that would be interested in the Markkanen sweepstakes because of the "floor-spacing aspect," joined by the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Another executive went as far as to propose a deal for the Knicks ... one that would require some large transactional sacrifices.

Dec 13, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) is fouled taking a three point shot by New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) at the end of the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

“The Knicks would love to get Lauri in there with OG (Anunoby) and (Jalen) Brunson, he is a better fit for them than (Julius) Randle is because of the shooting,” the exec told Deveney. “If they could swap Randle for Markkanen, then cough up a lot of first-rounders, five or six, you’d have to think, you might get Danny Ainge on board. But they don’t want Randle in Utah, so it has to be picks.”

Little more needs to be said about the Knicks' expansive draft pick cabinet, which includes two first-round choices at the upcoming draft in Brooklyn. But a big deal for such a rising talent like Markkanen will require some assets with names, especially considering Markkanen's financial status.

Next season will be his last on a four-year, $67.4 million originally inked with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his next checks will be significantly larger considering his accomplishments over the last two seasons.

Markkanen was one of the headlining arrivals of the Mitchell trade and has served as Utah's undeniable headliner since then. He earned an All-Star Game invite when Salt Lake City hosted in 2023, a year that also saw him beat out Brunson for the Association's Most Improved Player Award. With Randle's own future in doubt (due a potential nine-figure extension of his own at some point) and his last two postseason more or less erased by injuries, the Knicks could be looking to change their tune.

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