It was only two years ago that the Golden State Warriors put together one of their most aggressive pitches for a star NBA player–big man Lauri Markkanen, who was not certain to sign a long-term extension with the Jazz at the time. For the better part of a month, the Warriors were said to have made offers to Utah, willing to give up multiple draft picks as well as wing Moses Moody. The Jazz were said to have wanted Brandin Podziemski, too, though folks within the Warriors would dispute that it was Podziemski who held up the deal. More generally, there was a sense that the Jazz were negotiating without any real intention to make a trade, and, indeed, Utah finally shut the whole thing down that summer when they signed Markkanen to an extension in early August.
Now, with the Warriors flirting with the possibility of getting back into the player acquisition business as the NBA trade deadline gets closer in February, the question of bringing in Markkanen has come up again. The Jazz are off to a poor start, are not so sure that Markkanen is a long-term fit with this rebuilding roster, and might soon find themselves in what one executive said is something of a, “fire sale.”
Considering Markkanen is on a contract that still has three years and $150 million, the Warriors would be in position to make a move on him.
Lauri Markkanen Could Hit the Trade Market
Now, there would be question marks about such a pursuit for the Warriors. First would be the cost. The Warriors still have no real intention to trade Jimmy Butler, because they ultimately feel that gambling on him returning to the lineup healthy is a better bet than most anything they’d do on the market. So the play would be to send out the expiring contract of Draymond Green and the Kristaps Porzingis contract, essentially freeing more than $40 million off the Jazz books next year. With two first-round picks going to Utah, there are the makings of a deal there.
But the problem would be whether the Warriors think Markkanen makes them that much better. The first goal in trading the Porzingis contract–worth $20 million this year, with only $3 million guaranteed next year–would be to bring back a center. Markkanen can play some center, but he is more naturally a power forward and not a great defender.
Would Warriors Pay the Price?
Would sending out Green, who has been excellent defensively this season, be too much of a hit for the Warriors to warrant adding Markkanen’s offense? He is off to a rough start this season, and has had a wrist injury, but he did average 26.7 points last year on 47.7% shooting and 35.5% 3-point shooting. There’s something to be said for the kind of offense the Warriors could run with Markkanen, Butler, Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg.
And there are the picks. The Warriors insist they’re willing to part with picks for win-now players, but they’ve been reluctant to go from insisting that to actually doing it. Curry will retire eventually–the Dubs don’t want to be without picks when he does.
This does not have to happen soon, of course. It can’t actually–Green can’t be traded until December 15. The Warriors will see how things play out, but if they keep showing they can be a .500-plus team before Butler gets back, they might be willing to make a surprise trade investment.
Warriors’ Longtime Trade Target Could Come at Draft Price