The Utah Jazz promised to Lauri Markkanen that they would be competitive sooner rather than later.
Over the last few years, Lauri Markkanen has been a strong pillar for an otherwise disappointing Utah Jazz. During his three seasons with the Jazz, Markkanen has had the best stretch of his career. It all led to Markkanen signing a huge deal with the Jazz this past offseason.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, as part of the huge contract extension, the Jazz promised Markkanen that the team would make the transition toward "competing" in a timely manner. After signing the huge extension during the offseason, the Jazz is on pace to quite possibly finish with the fewest wins in franchise history. That can't feel good if you're Markkanen. In some ways, the argument could be made that as the Jazz continue to swim around the bottom of the Western Conference, they've already broken a promise made previously to Markkanen.
But maybe this is all part of the process for the Jazz. Perhaps part of the plan of turning toward a "competing" team always revolved around the loaded 2025 NBA Draft class. A lot can change for this team's outlook if they are awarded a top-3 pick in this year's draft.
What is the blueprint for the Utah Jazz?
If the Jazz does land a top-three pick, it would certainly change the tune of where this team is headed. If Utah can add Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or even Ace Bailey, the hype surrounding this team is going to soar - especially with Markkanen still playing at such a high level.
But, on the other hand, what if the Jazz does fall out of the top 3? Even though the Jazz currently have the second-worst record in the NBA, that only gives you a 52 percent chance of leaving the lottery with a top 4 pick. Those are good odds and better than most other teams. However, what if the lottery balls don't fall in favor of the Jazz? What then?
I suppose that could be considered a bridge the Jazz will cross when the time arrives. Nevertheless, with the lack of moves the Jazz have made recently, it'd be difficult for Markkanen to feel all that confident about what the franchise promised before he signed a long-term extension with the team.
I'm sure the Jazz intend to build around Markkanen, but, at least for now, it'd be hard to see how that is going to happen unless they get lucky at the NBA Draft Lottery. And if Utah doesn't get the balls to fall their way, it could make for an interesting offseason in Utah.