The Jazz will want a serious return for All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen if the Pistons come calling. It may be more than Detroit is willing to part with.
According to Marc Stein, Utah is willing to part with Markkanen if it can land a significant return. Detroit possesses a young core, but its 14-2 start may push the team’s timeline up by a year. Stein reports that any package in return for Markkanen would almost certainly have to include 22-year-old guard Ausar Thompson. He’s not someone the Pistons want to move.
Detroit selected Thompson with the fifth pick in the 2023 NBA draft, and he has steadily developed into a key player for the franchise. Through 12 games this season, he’s averaging career highs in points (12.6), assists (2.9), steals (1.8), minutes (28.5), and three-point percentage (30.8). He is also grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game, up from 5.1 last season.
It’s easy to see why the Pistons would be intrigued by Markkanen. The 28-year-old is averaging 29.9 points per game, while adding 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, in 35.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc and 48.5% from the field. Given that production, Thompson would only be the start of a return package for him.
Lauri Markkanen’s contract details
Markkanen agreed to a five-year, $238 million deal with Utah in August of 2024 and is under contract through the 2028-29 season. This season, he’s making $46.4 million, but that number jumps over the next three seasons.
For the 2026-27 campaign, Markkanen will make $46.1 million, and that number will rise to $49.8 million for the 2027-28 season. He’ll be 31 during the 2028-29 campaign and is due to make $53.5 million. That’s a lot of money to commit to a forward whose career numbers have spiked while on a bad Jazz team over the past few seasons.
That said, Markkanen was a good NBA player before that; he just had to go to Utah to see his numbers explode.
A starting lineup built around Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Markkanen would be formidable in the Eastern Conference. The price to acquire Utah’s big man might be steep, but could pay off big time.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jazz’s Reported Asking Price for Lauri Markkanen in Trade With Pistons Is Steep.
