The Golden State Warriors are out of time to acquire a top player in the summer to replace Klay Thompson, but they are still in the running for maybe the best player currently on the market.
On Wednesday, July 3, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report revealed that the Dubs are fervently pursuing a trade with the Utah Jazz in order to acquire Lauri Markkanen.
According to Haynes, “[The Warriors] are the aggressor in this Lauri Markkanen sweepstakes.” “They are making every effort to join the group, but acquiring Lauri will come at a high cost. The Utah Jazz are willing to deal Lauri for the right player, even though they don’t necessarily want to.
At 27, Markkanen is a 7-foot stretch big who is just entering his peak. He will be a player in the upcoming season. In the 2022–23 season, he averaged 25.6 points per game, making him a pick for the All–Star Team and the league’s Most Improved Player Award winner.
Basketball Reference reports that he averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game the previous season. He also has a lifetime 37.5% 3-point shooting percentage on 6.6 attempts per game.
When it comes to Markkanen’s suitability with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, Golden State’s biggest worry won’t be how much the 7-footer will cost.
Markkanen is set to conclude his four-year, $67.5 million contract, which will pay him little over $18 million in 2024–2025. For a player of Markkanen’s ability, that is an incredibly good deal; nevertheless, starting in 2025–2026, he would certainly demand an extension from the Dubs that would make him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Curry.
Considering how much draft capital and young talent they would have to give up to get Markkanen, the Warriors would naturally be forced to comply.
The CEO of the Jazz’s basketball operations, Danny Ainge, has a track record of closing deals by extracting massive quantities of value from his negotiators. Just two years ago, he acquired numerous experienced players and the equivalent of five first-round draft picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rudy Gobert. There’s no reason to believe that the price for Markkanen won’t be equally high.
It’s going to be a difficult undertaking. What then are the Warriors’ options for making the required picks? stated Haynes. “Brandin Podziemski, are you able to receive two firsts?” An initial? Jonathan Kuminga, huh? To try to close that transaction would seriously deplete the Warriors’ lineup.
