The Golden State Warriors continue to pursue a star to pair with Stephen Curry during the twilight of his NBA prime, and they are doing so aggressively.
That star’s identity is far from a secret — he’s Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz. The two pressing questions are who/what the Dubs have included in their proposed trade package(s) and will that be enough to pry the 7-footer, who averaged north of 23 points per game last season, out of Utah’s grasp?
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on Thursday, July 11, via the “Warriors Plus-Minus” podcast that if any team is going to get Markkanen, it’s going to be Golden State.
“They are in this Lauri Markkanen stalled hunt basically,” Slater told co-hosts Marcus Thompson II and Tim Kawakami, also of The Athletic. “I think they’re probably the premier team that has had the best package on the table. If Lauri Markkanen had been traded at this point, I think we all agree it would be the Warriors.”
That still doesn’t answer the question, though, of what it will take for the Warriors to land Markkanen as he heads into his age-27 season. ESPN’s Tim McMahon and Zach Lowe collaborated on an answer during the July 11 edition of “The Lowe Post” podcast.
“Educated speculation — I think [Brandin] Podziemski would have to be in the deal,” McMahon said. “Obviously, you’re talking about a ton of picks. I don’t know how much the Jazz would press on [Jonathan] Kuminga. I do think, like if Podziemski is not in the deal, there wouldn’t be a deal.”
“So Podziemski and three or four Warriors first-round picks and swaps, unprotected, betting against the Warriors going forward with Steph aging and Markkanen as the guy and Draymond [Green] aging as well,” Lowe added.
Lauri Markkanen Could Bankrupt Warriors’ Future if Golden State Trades Too Much For Him
GettyLauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz.
Golden State has two unprotected first-round picks and a protected first-rounder it could send to Utah in exchange for Markkanen, along with Podziemski and whatever other players the team might need to include to make the salaries match up closely enough to pass league rules.
Markkanen will earn just over $18 million next season in the final campaign of a four-year, $67.5 million contract. Podziemski, who is entering just his second year in the NBA and earned First-Team All-Rookie honors, will make a little over $3.5 million in 2024-25.
Despite that financial discrepancy, the Warriors won’t necessarily have to include any of their other quality young players like Kuminga, Moses Moody or Trayce Jackson-Davis in a Markkanen trade. Lowe stressed how important that is for Golden State, as he argued against making a deal if it didn’t leave the Dubs with enough quality players to carve a reasonable path back toward the top of the Western Conference and title contention.
“What is the deal for Markkanen that leaves enough in the cupboard where you can look at your team and think, ‘The price we have paid in future assets, in youth, in picks is worth it because A) Markkanen is 27, so he’s gonna be here a long time; and B) We have enough to actually make a deep playoff run right now?'” Lowe said. “I think Kuminga and a raft of picks is too much out the door for a team that probably isn’t good enough to win at a high level.”
Lauri Markkanen Adds Front Court Scoring to Warriors’ Roster That Has Little Already
GettyLauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz drives the ball against Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA game.
Golden State has some talent on its front line in the form of Green and Jackson-Davis. However, one thing it doesn’t have is versatile, inside-outside scoring from any player who might see significant time at the center and/or power forward positions.
Markkanen can give them that without sacrificing size and rebounding. Markkanen didn’t just score 23.2 points per game last year, but put up 25.6 points per contest two seasons ago during his first campaign with the Jazz, in which he earned All-Star honors.
His bump in minutes also led to an increase in rebounds, as Markkanen has averaged 8.4 boards per night across his 121 regular-season games in Utah. He is also 7-feet tall, which at the very least allows the Dubs to put some size on the floor on the defensive interior.
Markkanen was not a good defender last season, posting a defensive rating of 119.9. The league average defender had a rating of 116.1. Markkanen has never been a real rim protector during his seven-year NBA career, averaging just 0.5 blocks per game. However, the ability to at least contest shots could matter for Golden State.
Green could also play in the power forward spot alongside Markkanen during the minutes he lines up at center, which would keep the latter from needing to defend quicker players on the perimeter against any offense other than a five-out scheme.
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Warriors Trade Pitch Flips Podziemski, 3 First-Rounders for Elite Scoring Forward