Getty For the Los Angeles Lakers to land Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, the team likely needs to trade Austin Reaves.
If the Los Angeles Lakers want to land another star, it is likely going to need to come through the trade market. The remaining NBA free agents are primarily role players, which could be what Los Angeles prefers to build around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Yet, the Lakers could also opt to go star hunting, and one name that has been floated in trade rumors is Utah Jazz former All-Star Lauri Markkanen. The challenge is the Jazz may be looking for a blockbuster return similar to what the Brooklyn Nets landed from the New York Knicks to acquire Mikal Bridges. Brooklyn added five future first rounders from New York as well as a potential pick swap.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha noted that an example of the “high price” that the Jazz expect for Markkanen would be two future first-round picks, the removal of the top-four protections from a 2027 first rounder LA owes Utah and pick swaps. The Lakers would also need to add Austin Reaves and potentially another player like Jalen Hood-Schifino. Even then, the NBA insider is skeptical it would be enough to entice Utah to strike a deal.
Let’s examine how a potential Markkanen trade would work for the Lakers and Jazz.
A Lakers Trade for Jazz Star Lauri Markkanen Would Need to Include Austin Reaves, Future 1st Round Picks & Pick Swaps: Insider
Lakers please find a way to get Lauri Markkanen on our team!!!
This is the kind of trade a team makes if the front office believes it turns the franchise into a contender. Markkanen may be an upgrade from Reaves, but it is unlikely enough to make Los Angeles a contender in the Western Conference.
“The price is really high. Like the the Jazz are trying to find a Mikal Bridges level price for him, according to multiple reports and according to what I’ve heard behind the scenes,” Buha explained in a July 5, 2024, live stream titled, “Lakers Q&A: Trade targets, Lauri Markkanen, free-agency options, LA’s rank in West.” “Just the price for him is incredibly high, and remember Mikal Bridges went for five first-round picks.
“So, the Lakers technically they could manipulate that 2027 first-round pick that they owe Utah. I believe it’s top-four protected. They could remove the protection on that. They could also send their two [future] firsts, and then they also have three [pick] swaps.”
This Is a Lot for the Lakers to Trade for a Player With 1 Year Left on His $67 Million Contract
It is not just the future draft capital that Los Angeles would be losing in this potential deal. There is also the challenge of signing Markkanen to a lucrative contract extension.
Markkanen is heading into the final season of four-year, $67.4 million contract with an $18 million cap hit. The forward is likely headed for a significant raise in his next deal. NBA insider Marc Stein reported on July 5 that Markkanen’s current deal has multiple teams characterizing the star as “difficult” to trade given the uncertainty.
“So, you technically do something like two firsts, three swaps, removing the protections on the one pick,” Buha added when discussing a potential Lakers-Jazz trade. “But then that’s probably going to cost you at least Austin Reaves and whatever.
“… I don’t know Austin Reaves [and] JHS [Jalen Hood-Schifino]. …You got to figure out the [matching] salary there. But at that point, it’s like, you’re really mortgaging all of your future, all of your assets and I don’t even know if Utah would do that. That might not be enough for what they’re looking for.”
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Proposed Trade Has Lakers Pay High Price in $67 Million Star Swap for Reaves