It may not be the most likely outcome on the table for the Jazz star this summer, but in the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the framework could be in place for the Lakers to bring Markkanen as a third star next to Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
In Swartz’ proposal, the Lakers land Markkanen from the Jazz in exchange for a bundle of four players, alongside one unprotected first-round pick.
Utah Jazz receive: F Rui Hachimura, G/F Dalton Knecht, PG Gabe Vincent, F Maxi Kleber, 2031 first-round pick (unprotected)
Alongside the trade proposal, Swartz offers his rationale as to why the Jazz would be inclined to make such a deal.
“A future unprotected pick from the Lakers in 2031 when James has (probably??) retired is valuable,” Swartz wrote. “Adding Knecht as a young core piece to a team that finished 22nd overall in three-point shooting is attractive as well. Hachimura (13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 41.3 percent shooting from three) has value and would likely be flipped to a contender, and the Jazz should be happy to add Vincent’s championship experience to a young point guard rotation that features Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier.
And for Los Angeles, the logic is simple: add another co-star to their starting lineup to add size and positional versatility next to their existing core.
“The Lakers will always be on the hunt for stars yet are limited in trade assets after acquiring Luka Dončić at the deadline,” Swartz continued.” Markkanen is probably the best level of player Los Angeles can reasonably acquire and would be a strong third option behind Dončić and LeBron James. Adding a 7-footer who can play either forward position and fill short bursts as a stretch-5 gives the Lakers a ton of versatility with their lineups and helps an offense that ranked 12th out of 16 teams this postseason.
This seems like a simple deal on paper to make for the Lakers, if given the opportunity–– adding a star like Markkanen for the price of a starter, a young prospect like Knecht, two expirings and a first round pick seems like a gamble Los Angeles and their front office would be willing to pull the trigger on, especially as LeBron starts to enter the twilight years of his playing career.
However, it’s on the other side of the equation where things get difficult.
Following last summer’s frequent Markkanen trade buzz and rumors encircling his extremely high trade value that Utah would want back in a deal for their star, even after an inconsistent season of production, it’d be a bit challenging to see that status shifting so dramatically within less than one calendar year.
Sure, the Lakers’ unprotected 2031 pick could be valuable with a lot of uncertainty attached to it, but in a world where a superstar like Luka still remains in Los Angeles, it’s also a selection that might not even reach within the lottery for a team that would expect to remain competitive, even in five-plus years.
In exchange for the services of the man the Jazz paid over $200 million last summer, one first-round pick likely won’t be cutting it, and for any concept involving the Lakers with a Markkanen trade, Austin Reaves seems all but certain to have a spot within Utah’s incoming package. But here, he’s nowhere to be found.
With the Jazz’s addition of their new president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge, it’s hard to count out any potential move for Utah this summer. Yet, if it’s a deal revolving around Markkanen, expect the return to be a bit higher than what the Lakers manage to put together here.
