Basketball league in the NBA Lauri Markkanen The Utah Jazz are facing doom days. The NBA’s deadline for player trades is Thursday at 10 p.m. Finnish time.
The game moves of the Jazz club management will determine a lot about where the team’s season will turn. In the last few days, there has been a lot of speculation in the American media, whether Utah is on the back burner in terms of selling or buying intentions.
Utah has taken two tough scalps this week. Milwaukee, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, fell from the beginning of the week. Early on Thursday, Finnish time, Utah defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before the loss to Utah, Oklahoma was the number one team in the Western Conference.
The Jazz are currently in tenth place in the Western Conference, i.e. stuck in the last place for the playoffs.
The former captain of Susijeng, who closely follows the NBA Shawn Huff believes that Utah is in the role of a seller in the trade back border.
Huff would still like Utah to fight for playoff spots.
– There are two different things, what Utah is doing and what I would like them to do. Utah wants to become as good a team as possible quickly, but that won’t be of much interest to them in the coming months. I would like to see Utah try for the playoffs and get some help because Utah has a lot of backups. However, that is probably not the best long-term option if you want the championship, Huff estimates.
Lauri Markkanen isn’t untouchable either?
Utah’s number one star Lauri Markkanen the situation is also interesting. At the end of the year, Utah’s situation looked really difficult, when the team was at the tail end of the Western Conference.
At that time, speculations about trading the Finnish star intensified.
In media speculation, Utah has asked for a really high price for Markkase, several first-round draft picks. In recent weeks, the rumors have turned in the direction that Markka would not be traded.
According to media reports, Utah would instead sign a so-called maximum contract with Markkanen in the summer. With Markkanen’s seven NBA seasons, that means 30 percent of the salary cap.
Next season, the NBA team’s salary cap is 141 million US dollars and it is expected to grow abundantly in a yearwhen the NBA makes a new TV deal.
Markkanen earns a good 16 million US dollars this season, but with the maximum contract, the contract for the next season would rise to a good 42 million dollars. The total value of the contract can be even more than 200 million dollars even before the salary cap increases.
At the moment, Markkanen’s 16 million contract is really cheap for Utah compared to the Finn’s top level.
– Utah operates in a small market, Salt Lake City. If there is a star player of Markkanen’s caliber, he likes to play there and he has a good contract, there is absolutely no point in trading him, says Huff.
However, the wolf gang icon reminds me of the Utah Jazz GM About Danny Ainge. The architect of the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team is known as a tough businessman.
– It has been said about Danny Ainge that he could even trade his mother if he got enough bookings. Because of this, it cannot be said that Lauri is untouchable, Huff describes.
It is more likely that someone other than Markkanen will be traded away from the Utah Jazz. The Athletic brought up About Utah’s core players Kelly Olyny too, by Jordan Clarkson and Simone Fontecchio the names. All of these could help teams looking for success this spring. Olynyk and Fontecchio’s current contracts expire this season. Fontecchio is a starting five player in Utah, Olynyk and Clarkson are important players from the bench.
Huff, on the other hand, brings up Olynyk and Collin Sexton. The latter has become Utah’s second hardest player behind Markkanen.
– Olynyk is a big man who can throw. A lot of teams would definitely want him. Sexton has played his own shares high. If Sexton gets a good offer, he could move. That would temporarily weaken Utah’s team, but behind him Keyonte George is a player of the future. That way, he would get more minutes and more merchandise for Utah. Then we can get a better player, Huff describes.
Who could be traded in Utah?
Will Markkanen’s rude streak continue?
Before the season, many American media predicted that Utah would finish 12th in the tough Western Conference. Now Jazz is a couple of notches higher than preliminary estimates.
– Utah has pretty much maximized its potential. Home advantage is really good in Utah. The head coach Will Hardy has got the players playing really well at the moment. The players have bought into Hardy’s ideas. I think Utah is rolling in its current positions, Huff estimated.
The six best teams in the regular season go directly to the playoffs. Those who reach places 7–10 play in the playoff qualifiers. Teams that reach places 7 and 8 have two chances to grab a place in the playoffs. Those who reach places 9 and 10 must win two games to get to the playoffs.
Huff believes the Jazz will make the playoffs.
– We’ll see where they reach. If Utah could go 7 and 8 and get home field advantage, it would mean a lot. That would affect Utah’s chances of making the playoffs, Huff says.
Utah has won 17 of their 24 games at home this season. There have been only 9 wins in 28 games.
Lauri Markkase currently has the second most regular season matches without playoffs among active players. Above is only Indiana Buddy Hield. He currently has a better chance of making the playoffs this spring than Markkanes.
– From Markkanen’s point of view, the situation is unfortunate. This is how the NBA is sometimes. Lauri has personally used his opportunities to his advantage. He just never happened to be on a team that reached the playoffs, Huff laments.