The Walker Kessler trade may have sparked the conversation, but it doesn’t change the answer on Lauri Markkanen.
Utah’s decision to move Kessler instead of holding onto him has naturally led to speculation that Markkanen could be next. The logic is simple enough: if the Jazz were willing to cash in one key piece, maybe they’d do the same with another. But that’s not where this is headed.
Markkanen is the better player, even if the comparison with Kessler is really about two very different jobs on the floor. And more importantly, Utah understood the bigger picture.
Keeping Kessler wasn’t going to make it easy to preserve the rest of the core for long, especially with teams across the league trying to steer clear of the tax aprons. Denver, for example, is looking to trade Cameron Johnson as we speak.
At some point, somebody had to be the one moved out. If Utah had kept Kessler, there’s a good chance Markkanen would have been the player on the way out not long after. The Jazz saw the squeeze coming and cut it off before it could become a real problem.
So no, Markkanen isn’t going anywhere now. Not unless Utah gets an unquestionable upgrade, and there just aren’t many players in the league better than The Finnisher.
And honestly, he’s earned this moment.
Utah has put together a roster built to chase the playoffs, mixing veterans and young talent in a way that gives Markkanen his best shot yet. That says as much about his career path as it does about the current Jazz. He started with the dysfunctional Chicago Bulls, spent only one year with the rising Cleveland Cavaliers, and then landed in Utah just as the Jazz were starting over.
He has never played a postseason minute. After all that, it would feel wrong to take away his first real chance to get there.
Danny Ainge has never been the sentimental type, but this isn’t really about sentiment anyway. The Jazz have more to gain by keeping Markkanen than by moving him, especially now that he has settled in and the team around him is finally coming together.
Markkanen found the right fit. Utah is finally building something that matches it. Now it’s time to see that partnership make its mark on the NBA.
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