The Pistons have been circling Lauri Markkanen for years, but the door never really opened because Utah kept treating him like a player it would only move for a massive haul. That may be changing now. With the Jazz building a roster they believed could chase a playoff spot and then stumbling to a 1-6 start, the price to pry Markkanen loose could finally be something Detroit can realistically put together.
For the Pistons, the fit is easy to see. They’ve started well again, but the offense still has some obvious cracks underneath the surface. A more dangerous shooter and scorer at power forward would go a long way, and Markkanen checks that box cleanly.
He’s not off to a great start this season, but the track record is still strong. Last season, Markkanen averaged 27 points per game while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from three on nearly eight attempts a night. That kind of scoring punch matters, especially for a team that already has more playmaking across the roster than it used to.
He’s not the kind of player who creates everything for himself, and that may not be a problem in Detroit. His value would come from what he does away from the ball, stretching the floor and giving the Pistons’ emerging creators more room to work. In that sense, he looks like a natural fit for the way they want to play.
There are questions on defense, too, but Detroit has already shown it can make a player at that spot work. John Collins has held down the same position this season, and he wasn’t viewed as a strong defender before arriving either. The Pistons’ scheme and help behind him have helped cover for that.
The challenge, as always, is the trade math. Detroit would need to send out multiple players to make the salaries work, and Collins would almost certainly have to be part of it as the team’s third-highest-paid player. Either Collins or Duncan Robinson would need to be included, though Robinson has been too useful as a shooter to feel like a likely sacrifice.
If the Pistons added two more mid-sized contracts, Isaiah Joe and Ron Holland II, the framework could be there for a Markkanen deal. Utah would also want draft compensation, and one first-round pick looks like a fair price from Detroit’s side, especially if the Pistons keep piling up regular-season wins.
At some point, the Jazz have to decide what Markkanen is really worth to them. He’s 29 now, and Utah still doesn’t look close to contending.
The team has already been hit by major injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and Jaren Jackson Jr to open the season, but the guard play still doesn’t look strong enough to make a real leap in the next couple of years, even if the frontcourt gets healthy. By the time the Jazz are truly ready, Markkanen could be past his prime and the team may be left with nothing to show for keeping him.
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Now, with the trade deadline approaching, league chatter has started to circle back to the same need: shooting. Michael Porter Jr. has emerged in the speculation as the kind of name that would fit the Pistons search for a proven perimeter threat, but for now it remains just that, a rumor-driven possibility tied to what Detroit still wants to fix before the market closes. [Read more 🡒]