The real reason why Lauri Markkanen will delay signing a contract extension with the Utah Jazz.
The common narrative that we've heard all summer long is that Lauri Markkanen wants to remain a member of the Utah Jazz. Naturally, doing their due diligence, the Jazz has tested Markkanen's trade waters. Whether they've been serious about potentially trading Markkanen remains to be seen, but it's clear they've held talks with other teams, specifically the Golden State Warriors.
Eligible for a contract extension on August 6, if Markkanen delays signing with the team even by one day, he no longer would be eligible to be traded for the 2024-25 season. In other words, the Jazz would have to wait to trade Markkanen until next summer. In theory, Markkanen is expected to do this, according to a recent report, in an attempt to take back some of the power of his future.
If this were to happen and Markkanen were to sign an extension with the Jazz in a few days, that would mean he wouldn't hit the trade block for the foreseeable future. Assuming that ends up happening, which is looking more and more likely to be the case, you can't help but wonder what could lie ahead for the Jazz.
How would the Utah Jazz pivot?
It will be interesting to see if Markkanen signing a long-term extension would make them more willing to explore the trade market for a win-now move. If they were open to it, there are certainly a couple of names that could be of interest to the Jazz. At the top of the list is Brandon Ingram.
If Utah is not going to trade Markkanen and pivot to a rebuild, trading for Ingram in an attempt to help the team compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season. The question is, would Utah be willing to trade future assets for acquiring a player who is far from a guaranteed path to success?
Right now, we don't know the clear answer to that. And Markkanen's current situation certainly blurred some of those waters. But now that Markkanen will have signed his extension, we should see a more defined plan for the Jazz moving forward.
Could Markkanen be halting in inevitable? Absolutely. At the same time, he may have given the team another year to map out a potential difference-making win-now move. The next few months should be interesting to follow for the Jazz.