While the NBA offseason has slowed to a crawl, there are a few big names still bouncing around in trade rumors. Jerami Grant’s future in Portland is uncertain, while Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram are still very much available from Chicago and New Orleans — but have garnered little interest given their contract situations. Then there is Lauri Markkanen, who has the most interest from around the league, but the Jazz are asking teams to meet an extremely high asking price in return.
Markkanen is eligible to sign an extension on Tuesday, August 6, which would give the Jazz a bit more leverage in trade talks. However, because of the way the NBA schedule works this season and the rule preventing players from being traded for 6 months after signing an extension, Markkanen would need to sign as soon as possible in order to be eligible to be traded at the 2025 trade deadline. The Jazz would prefer that, but Markkanen, understandably, may not.
The former All-Star is apparently not interested in being in trade rumors for another six months, and according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, he’s not expected to sign his extension in time to be trade eligible at the deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, it’s unlikely that Markkanen will sign the new deal by Tuesday, which makes sense. The 27-year-old Markkanen knows he’s going to get major money either now or next summer. By not signing this week, Markkanen essentially gains a bit of control over his future.
That throws a wrinkle in the plans of the Jazz, taking away their opportunity to make a midseason move as they figure to be in the chase for the No. 1 pick and Cooper Flagg. That’s tougher to do with Markkanen on the roster, and if he doesn’t sign an extension in time, that could shift their plan.
Would they pull the extension off the table and ramp up trade talks once Markkanen passes the date to be deadline eligible? That depends on how badly they want to get in the mix for Flagg. In any case, the next couple of weeks should bring a settlement to the situation, as we’ll know what Utah and Markkanen’s plans are by what happens with his extension. If he’s still unsigned by early next week, perhaps a trade could be on, but if he simply waits a few days and then signs, he’ll be locked in for at least one more season with the Jazz.