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Lauri Markkanen Rumors
Lauri Markkanen considered a key player in Jazz’s future core
It would be too much to describe Lauri Markkanen as untouchable, but the Jazz still project the All-Star forward as a key player in their future core. Utah listened to offers for Markkanen last summer, but none of the talks with other teams ever came close to tempting CEO Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik to make a trade. The Jazz ultimately awarded Markkanen a five-year, $238 million maximum renegotiation and extension, allowing him to sign the deal last Aug. 7 and making him ineligible to be traded before last season's deadline.
Battling back and knee issues, the Finnish star played only 47 of 82 games. Utah, aiming for better draft odds, kept him sidelined late in the season—even when the NBA believed he was fit. The team was fined $100,000 for this. According to Markkanen, the season—spent at the bottom of the standings—was “mentally a bit heavier.” “You always want to play as many games as possible and compete at a high level. Everyone is in it to win.” The training camp at summer’s end had raised expectations: “It went off the rails. A disappointment in that sense,” he summed up the season. “It’s frustrating if you can’t play or the team is losing.”
Among them, in Tampere, there will also be the home crowd favorite Lauri Markkanen, who confirmed his availability to be present at the most anticipated national team event of the whole year to the Finnish outlet mtv uutiset. “It’s always an honor to put on the Finland jersey. I’m really looking forward to the tournament, of course, but also every single time I get to wear it, including these exhibition games,” he said via FIBA.
Lauri Markkanen to play Eurobasket 2025 with Finland
Finland got a big boost for their chances at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with their star forward Lauri Markkanen confirming he will be on board for this summer's tournament - and aiming to make more history. "It’s always an honor to put on the Finland jersey," Markkanen told the Finnish media outlet mtv uutiset. "I’m really looking forward to the tournament, of course, but also every single time I get to wear it - including these exhibition games."
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Markkanen has loftier expectations this time around - namely reaching the podium. "It'll take a lot of work and surely we'll face setbacks, but we're aiming for the medal games, of course. It's not enough just to play home games – we want to continue the journey to Riga," he said.
Magic open to trading Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac
Kevin O'Connor: Orlando’s interesting. You mentioned them. I’ve heard they’re open to trading Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac with a first-rounder for an upgrade. I’m just doing the math in my head. Getting Lauri Markkanen for those two salaries is close financially. But do you have too many 6'10" shot creators?
However, acquiring the 23-year-old center appears to be a significant challenge, primarily due to the LA Lakers' limited trade assets and the Jazz's high asking price. "I think the issue with Walker Kessler and with Utah in general is their asking prices tend to be higher, and I think trading for Lauri [Markkanen] or Walker is going to be a high price," The Athletic's Jovan Buha noted on his latest Q&A session. The beat writer then confirmed that LA targeted Kessler last year. "Going back to last season, I reported that the Lakers had had interest in Walker previously, and they had inquired about him to the Jazz, and the feedback they got was the starting price, not the final price. The starting price was the equivalent of two+ first-round picks," Buha explained. According to the reporter, a package centered around Dalton Knecht and a single first-round pick would likely not be enough to entice Utah.
Multiple team sources, interviewed by The Athletic, provided some answers. Utah isn’t currently sure where it will take its roster once the offseason hits. But, it can go one of two ways. One is to build around forward Lauri Markkanen with a veteran-laden core. In that case, expect the Jazz to hit the market and attempt to secure veteran help to bolster their roster. The other way is to double down on the Jazz’s many young players on their roster: Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks and Kyle Filipowski, along with last year’s lottery pick, Cody Williams.
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Lauri Markkanen on trade rumors: There's things that you can't control
If that’s the case, then does 27-year-old Lauri Markkanen, the best player currently on the Jazz roster, want to be in Utah? “Definitely,” he said. “I feel like what I did last summer with signing here, that kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have. I love being in Utah. We’ll see what happens in summer, there’s things that you can’t control, but I love being here and working out with the guys that we have and building this thing.”
There’s no way to know now what will happen with Markkanen this offseason. If the Jazz front office is presented with a deal that they think makes more sense for the future than it does to keep Markkanen on the roster, then they’ll take it into serious consideration. But they don’t want for Markkanen to think that they are shopping him around. “We’ll see when opportunities come up to add to the roster, but I see Lauri as a central part of what we’re doing, that’s why we signed him,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said. “We think he can be a huge piece for us as we join the competitive rings.”
Lauri Markkanen went through a complicated season with the Utah Jazz, but he is looking forward to playing on home soil in the preliminary round of the EuroBasket 2025. “We have a big summer with the national team. I’m excited for that,” the 27-year-old combo forward pointed out in an end-of-season interview on Monday. “Those are the years I have always felt best physically and mentally, to be honest. You’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts. That kind of gets me excited for the summer, for being able to play for your country and how that’s going to lead up into the NBA season,” he added on the impact of FIBA action before the next NBA campaign.
The EuroBasket 2025 resurfaces Finland as the host of Group B in Tampere. Looking to clinch a berth in the Round of 16, Finland will face Sweden, Great Britain, Montenegro, Lithuania, and Germany from August 27 to September 3. “It was packed house every night, a lot of fun and really competitive games,” the Vantaa native recalled the 2017 tournament between the top European national teams, “I’m looking forward to build on that. I think we have a really good team. Hopefully, we can create some buzz and kind of make a big run.”
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