The Utah Jazz may have a Lauri Markkanen conundrum on their hands if they don’t field a competitive team around him soon.
The Jazz are the worst team in the Western Conference at 15-49. Markkanen meanwhile, is in the midst of his prime. He averages 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 42.5% shooting from the field, all down numbers. Utah’s direction looks uncertain, though they have a strong chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. While things could turn around for them in the next couple of seasons, a rebuild is never a sure process.
Therefore, the Houston Rockets should have foresight of this dynamic and be ready to push major chips to the front of the table to trade for him if the possibility arises. The Rockets boast an exciting young team that could use an upgrade at power forward.
The 2023 All-Star in Markkanen could take the Rockets from being a playoff team to a championship contender. That is, if he can return to his form over the previous two campaigns, where he put up roughly 24 points, eight boards and three three-pointers per game. He, along with All-Star Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Amen Thompson would form a fast offense with potent outside shooting. The 7-footer would also give them size at the four.
In order to convince the Jazz to do a deal of this magnitude, the Rockets would have to propose a serious offer. A deal centered around Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet and Cam Whitmore would match salary while adding a couple of first-round picks into the pot would handsomely compensate Utah. Houston would need to pick up VanVleet’s $44.8 million team option for next season to cater the deal.
Given that the Finnish talent can play small forward through center, he’d be a coach’s dream for Rockets head coach Ime Udoka to scheme around. Houston should keep Markkanen in the back of their mind should any talks of him being up for trade surface in the near future.
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