Getty Knicks potential trade target Lauri Markkanen
Of all the star players the Knicks could potentially land this NBA offseason—and it’s probably not as long a list as some suspect—there are few who check all the boxes. The Knicks want some size and length in the frontcourt. They want more shooting. They want a scorer, but someone who can operate as a No. 2 or 3 option.
It would be nice if the player could be in the same age bracket, too, as Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. For the Knicks, no player fits the bill quite as well as Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, who just turned 27, the same age as Brunson is now and as Anunoby will be next month.
Markkanen is a 7-foot power forward who is not quite a top option, and has averaged 24.5 points in his last two seasons in Utah, while shooting 39.5% from the 3-point line.
Of course, the Knicks would also like a guy who does not get hurt, and, well, you can’t win them all. One of the big issues with Markkanen is availability, as he has played just 403 out of the 539 possible games in his NBA career, meaning he has missed 25% of his games.
Another knock: He’s never been to the playoffs in seven NBA seasons.
But back to the positives: Markkanen could fill a key role for the Knicks, so much so that one executive tabbed him a “dream target” for New York.
Lauri Markkanen Trade Competition Would Be Stiff
Now, the executive told Heavy Sports that Markkanen is expected to be a top target of teams beyond the Knicks, including the Lakers and Heat. The Thunder could also make him a target, and could easily offer the best package to Utah.
“There are a few teams that, when you look at it, he is going to be their dream target,” an NBA GM said. “The Lakers, you get a guy like him with Anthony Davis, and that’s perfect for both guys. The Knicks would love to get hold of him. The Heat, again, put him with Bam (Adebayo) and that is the pair you want to build around, you can send Jimmy (Butler) wherever he wants.
“Just the floor-spacing aspect of it, it’s so valuable. He could make things easier on your stars.”
The Knicks have some advantages and disadvantages here. The disadvantage is that they do not have the ideal young player to swap back to the Jazz—R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are gone. But the advantage is that they can send a pile of draft picks to Utah, enough to potentially tempt Ainge into a deal.
Caveat: That didn’t work out so well when the Knicks were working with Ainge on a Donovan Mitchell deal. But the Knicks could give the Jazz a pick this year, two next year, the protected picks from Washington and Detroit that are not likely to convey until 2026 or 2027, plus an additional future pick, perhaps in 2027 or 2029.
That’s six—count ‘em—first-round picks heading to Utah.
Knicks Would Need to Dump Julius Randle
Another caveat: The Jazz would likely need to take back Julius Randle, a player they would not use. But the Jazz could either look to flip Randle for more picks, park him for a year until he hits free agency, or simply waive him and eat his salary. A deal could work for Bojan Bogdanovic, but the Knicks would still have the problem of trying to move on from Randle.
The Knicks could not go into the 2024-25 season with both Randle and Markkanen on the roster.
“The Knicks would love to get Lauri in there with OG and Brunson, he is a better fit for them than Randle is because of the shooting,” the executive said. “If they could swap Randle for Markkanen, then cough up a lot of first-rounders—five or six, you’d have to think—you might get Danny Ainge on board. But they don’t want Randle in Utah, so it has to be picks.”
It is still unclear, however, what the Jazz will do with Markkanen. He is entering the final year of a four-year, $67 million contract he signed as part of a sign-and-trade from Chicago to Cleveland in 2021, and could yet sign an extension to stay in Utah, which would also extend Ainge’s window to trade him.
Indeed, if the Knicks acquired Markkanen, they’d need to pay him, too. Still, Markkanen surely is a dream target. But there would be quite a few hurdles in the way to making that dream come true.