The Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors are the two teams most have their eye on coming into trade season, as Friday marked the first day players signed this summer could be dealt, but there are some other teams that figure to be quite active this winter before the February deadline.
The Atlanta Hawks, like Toronto, are off to a disappointing start and are going to be connected to just about every big name that hits the market as they desperately try to figure out what the right fit is next to Trae Young, as Dejounte Murray’s first year-plus in Atlanta has not gone according to plan. The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings are on the opposite end of the spectrum, with playoff caliber teams looking to find some upgrades and consolidate talent. All three of those are rumored to have interest in Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, with LaVine also on the radar for the Kings, but there is another team that could become a seller at the deadline that will have the league’s interest.
According to both Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of Yahoo, the Utah Jazz will be very active in trade talks ahead of the deadline, with just about every veteran on the roster available in a trade. Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Collin Sexton are the most likely to get moved, while John Collins also is on the block (again), but teams will also be trying their best to pry All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen out of Utah. Per Stein, there are teams planning to “test Utah’s resolve” with regards to their stance on keeping Markkanen.
While there has been no tangible evidence that Utah’s stance on Markkanen has changed, there is a rising belief heading into Showcase that a team or two out there is actively planning to test Utah’s resolve this season by making an offer for the Finnish power forward.
Fischer confirms that the Jazz are at least willing to listen on Markkanen, quoting another GM as saying it’s unlikely, but could happen if a team throws a massive haul their way.
“Do I expect Utah to trade Lauri? No,” another general manager told Yahoo Sports. “But they are saying they’re willing to listen. They are willing to listen to calls on everyone, but it’s a matter of meeting their price like Minnesota did for Rudy [Gobert].”
As for why the Jazz would consider this, the thought is they might believe they’re a bit further away from contending and could view Markkanen’s next contract as not worth the value on a team with an apparent ceiling.
The three teams noted by Fischer as likely Markkanen suitors are the Hawks, Kings, and Thunder. Given Atlanta doesn’t have that many first round picks to work with after the Murray trade, it seems highly unlikely they can make the kind of offer that would change the Jazz’s mind on trading the All-Star. Sacramento has a bit more flexibility with picks and could offer Keegan Murray as a young centerpiece, but Oklahoma City is particularly interesting. For years, Sam Presti has stocked his draft cabinet full of assets and refused to part with any of them, but with the Thunder in second in the West right now, if there were ever a time to cash in on a (still young) All-Star like Markkanen to pair with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, this is it. They could offer the Jazz the kind of draft asset haul they got for Gobert, and make money work with Davis Bertans and some smaller pieces.
This is all still in the whispers stage, and anyone who has followed the league semi-closely for the last decade knows better than to get too excited about trade rumors involving Danny Ainge. That said, if there were a team that could give him the haul he wants for Markkanen and flip four or five draft picks without breaking a sweat, it’s the Thunder and we’ll just bookmark this until closer to February.