NBA Rumors: 1 Season-derailing concern for every team as Training Camp approaches

Utah Jazz

1 Big concern: Can they take a step forward to justify the Lauri Markkanen extension

Once it clearly became apparent that the Golden State Warriors weren't all that serious about trading for Lauri Markkanen, refusing to put their strongest assets on the table, the Utah Jazz pivoted toward making a move that perhaps many thought they would eventually make - and that was signing Lauri Markkanen to a huge contract extension. The All-Star forward certainly deserved it but there was still an outside hope that it would come after a trade. In the end, the Jazz didn't pull the trigger on a trade and decided to pay Markkanen instead.

However, the only way to justify this move if you're the Jazz is to prove that there's an upside that isn't obvious for the team. And if the Jazz isn't able to prove that this season, there's a chance this Markkanen extension could be looked back as a mistake - especially considering Utah can't trade him for the foreseeable future.

You'd imagine the Jazz will be able to trade Markkanen in the future but if there's one thing we've learned in the NBA, those types of future scenarios are neve a given.