In the months ahead of the next NBA season, signs point to the Utah Jazz starting the year off with Lauri Markkanen still on the roster despite what seems like constant and consistent trade buzz surrounding his name. However, that hasn’t stopped the trade ideas from popping up linking Markkanen to a few destinations, with the latest connecting him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team proposal.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey is the latest to take a stab at a potential three-team deal with the Jazz, Lakers, and Miami Heat, effectively sending Markkanen to LA, Austin Reaves to Miami, and a bundle of assets to the Jazz. Jazz Receive: Terry Rozier, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, a 2026 first-round pick from L.A., a 2031 first-round pick from L.A. and a 2031 first-round pick from Miami
Lakers Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Heat Receive: Austin Reaves and Svi Mykhailiuk
In all, it’s a few veteran contracts to match Markkanen’s heavy salary, paired with a budding young player in Dalton Knecht, and three first-rounders to sweeten the pot. And in the eyes of Bailey, a deal like this could make a ton of sense for the Jazz; it could lead to some struggles in the short term, but in the effort of maximizing their odds in the lottery and leaning into their youth, it’s a move that meets that task pretty clearly.
“The objectives here are pretty clear for Utah,” Bailey wrote. “This deal makes the Jazz worse in the short term. That’s good for lottery odds. The basketball gods may not have been kind to them this summer, but maybe they’ll reward perseverance with the first pick in 2026. The better chance to win that selection is the short-term win. Long term, it always helps to have more picks, and this framework gives them three (by re-routing Reaves to the Heat).”
“The deal also clears the runway for more development for younger forwards like Ace Bailey, Taylor Hendricks, and even Kyle Filipowski. Plus, as if that all wasn’t enough, this could be one of those cascading trades where the return isn’t immediately complete. Months from now, if Rui Hachimura plays well for the rebuilding Jazz, he could fetch even more value in February.” The big question is whether this package would be enough to force the Jazz’s hand into making a deal surrounding their star talent.
Utah has seemingly been willing to take calls on Markkanen in the past, but that doesn’t mean they’re truly invested in dealing him. If it’s a haul that can’t be turned down, then the front office might consider actually pulling the trigger, but for now, that hasn’t happened.
Would this Lakers package meet that mark? It really depends on how the Jazz value those three incoming first-round picks, two from LA, and one from Miami. Utah has shown in the past that they do hold those future draft assets in high regard (hence, the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell deals), and maybe a package for Markkanen would have to meet similar demands.
However, in any deal with the Lakers surrounding Markkanen, it also seems hard to believe that the Jazz would walk away with anything less than Austin Reaves. In this proposal, he winds up going to the Heat, which, for Terry Rozier and a first-round pick, feels like a pretty cheap acquisition from Miami’s perspective. If the Jazz could land Reaves in the mix, perhaps the move becomes a bit more tempting for Austin Ainge and this front office. But without a true building block player brought in through the deal to ship off their cornerstone player in Markkanen, Utah may covet a different type of return.
