As the offseason keeps on pushing forward, the Los Angeles Lakers’ choices to redesign the program decline.
They’ve passed up outstanding names like Klay Thompson and Pal Hield however there’s somewhere around one potential effect player still accessible.
The Utah Jazz are logical in a revamping mode and their most significant resource is forward Lauri Markkanen. The Top pick is entering an agreement year and the Jazz might exchange him before he actually leaves in free organization one year from now.
Zach Buckley of Seat Report accepts that Markkanen is an extraordinary fit in Los Angeles and that the group ought to consider “discharging the resource assortment” to get him.
“A speedy output of the ongoing exchange market sets that Utah Jazz swingman Lauri Markkanen is the best possibility for that job among actually accessible players,” Buckley wrote in a July 11 section.
“It would, obviously, require the Lakers to empty the whole of their resource assortment to land Markkanen. Envisioning anybody in L.A is hard. not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis would be genuinely distant in a Markkanen exchange.”
The resources the Lakers have are three first-round picks, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and other job players. Taking into account Markkanen is just making $18 million next season, it ought not be challenging to make the pay rates work. On the off chance that Utah thinks the Lakers’ draft picks could be important, a Markkanen exchange to Los Angeles isn’t impossible.
Lauri Markkanen Could Be Missing Piece for LA
If the Lakers land Markkanen, it could be a huge deal. He’s averaged 24.5 points a game the last two seasons while hitting 39.5% of his 3-point shots. He’s been an ascending player and is still just 27.
He’d be an instant impact player for Los Angeles while also giving them a player to build around after LeBron James retires. He’d bring size to the team. He’s 7-foot-0 and while he doesn’t play center, he’d give form a formidable frontcourt with Anthony Davis. The only concern is that Markkanen is almost guaranteed to get a max contract after the season. It could be difficult to pay three max players.
James does have a player option on his contract that he could opt out of after the season. He could potentially take less money to help ensure Markkanen gets paid. It’s also possible he could retire, which would open up the room to pay Markkanen. A Davis-Markkanen duo going into the future should still be a playoff team with the right pieces around them.
LeBron James Is Big Fan of Lauri Markkanen
One player who wouldn’t mind a big trade for Markkanen is James. He recently had a lot of praise for the Finnish big man.
“[He’s] one of my favorites,” James said of Markkanen on the May 1 episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, “[I] love him.”
Evidently, Markkanen seriously loves James.
“He’s been a LeBron ally for quite a while,” James said. “He wears my shoes, until this year, I think Nike emerged with another shoe.”
Markkanen to Los Angeles appears to be a great match yet all that matters is whether the Jazz like what the Lakers bring to the table.
