Report: Warriors and Spurs trying to trade for Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen might be on the move soon, as the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are reportedly interested in trading for him.

The Spurs and Warriors are among the teams showing interest in trading for Lauri Markkanen, per @WindhorstESPN (https://t.co/cogsObv8Zd).

Rival executives believe there’s a good chance the Jazz actually move Markkanen. pic.twitter.com/EBr9SQFkwH

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 1, 2024

Executives across the NBA apparently think there’s a good chance the Jazz trade the one-time All-Star, who has spent the last two seasons of his career in Utah.

During his time with the Jazz, the former first-round pick is recording 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while knocking down 49.0 percent of his shots from the field and 39.5 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.

He was named an All-Star in his first season with the Jazz and also won the league’s Most Improved Player award for the 2022-23 campaign. He didn’t earn All-Star honors this past season, though he was still pretty solid in his 55 appearances.

Good move for the Spurs and Warriors?

Nov 25, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Markkanen seems like he’d be a good fit for both the Spurs and Warriors. He’d be able to stretch the floor well for both teams and provide some solid rebounding ability. A frontcourt duo of him and Victor Wembanyama on the Spurs would be pretty intimidating, especially considering the fact that the two are capable shooters.

He’d also give the Warriors another consistent scorer alongside Stephen Curry. Golden State is set to lose franchise legend Klay Thompson this offseason. Thompson has plenty of suitors across the league and looks destined to wear something other than a Warriors jersey for the first time in his career this coming season.

Thompson, whose dad wants to see him on the Los Angeles Lakers, is reportedly “intrigued” by the idea of joining the Purple and Gold. Only time will tell where he ends up this offseason.

Moving back to Markkanen, he’s now in the final year of his contract. With the way he’s played over the past two seasons, he will surely get a major pay raise whenever he signs his next deal. The Finnish forward is set to make about $18 million for the 2024-25 season.

It will be interesting to see just how much money he gets on his next deal and whether or not he’s still with the Jazz at that time.

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