The NBA offseason has quieted down as many of the league’s biggest stars have hit Paris for the 2204 Olympics, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to discuss around the Association!
Lauri Markkanen and his negotiations with Utah have reportedly taken a new twist, and one of those teams could have their eyes set on Brandon Ingram, as well. Plus, the Blazers are reportedly gauging the market for a few of their players prior to training camp.
“I would expect him to sign on August 7th, or after August 6th. Lauri doesn’t want to be traded so… I expect him to do it after Aug 6th so there’s no trade talk this year…I don’t even think him signing on August 6th is even an option. We’re almost 100% trending towards him signing on Aug 7th…Lauri has really taken to Utah. His family has taken to Utah.”
Markkanen doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so the possibility of Utah moving him still exists. However, now that the Jazz know Lauri Markkanen wants to be there it’s significantly more likely he will sign long-term. And, if he wants to be there long-term, he’ll almost certainly wait until after August 6th to sign. Markkanen is eligible for his extension on August 6th, and exactly six months after that date is the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Players aren’t eligible to be traded until six months after signing a contract, which means any Markkanen extension after August 6th disqualifies him to be traded next season.
So that doesn’t mean the Markkanen to the Warriors idea is totally dead, but the chances have dropped significantly. While Markkanen could fetch Utah a massive haul of picks and young players, the Jazz are already in good shape in terms of future draft capital, and having a star like Markkanen in the fold to lead the next rebuild could be very valuable. He’s only 27 years old, and his game should age fairly well. While the Jazz should absolutely still listen to the Warriors, it now seems like they’d have to get blown out of the water to accept any offer.
So where does Golden State pivot to if Markkanen is off the board? That’s a great question. Brandon Ingram is still likely to be traded from the Pelicans. He’s entering the last year of his deal and wants a pricy extension, but New Orleans doesn’t seem to want to give that to him. Could the Warriors check in on him? A deal centered around Andrew Wiggins would be possible, granted tricky with their cap situation. Portland is also rumored to be looking to move pieces (more on that later), could they check in on Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons? Mike Dunleavy has done a solid job getting the Warriors younger this offseason, but it still feels like they’re a star away from truly competing in the West.
Speaking of Brandon Ingram, according to a report from NBA Insider Evan Sidery, Utah may be interested in the Pelicans forward depending on the resolution of the Markkanen situation. If he does indeed decide to sign long-term in Utah, there is a feeling they could pivot from rebuild mode to win-now. For me, it all depends on the asking price. Utah is LOADED with future 1st Round picks, and with Ingram having only one year left on his contract, it’s doubtful the price would be too high given his injury history, as well. Going after Ingram and giving him a trial run alongside Lauri Markkanen wouldn’t be the worst experiment in the world.
“I would be surprised if Jerami (Grant) or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved. I was told that that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp. Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”
Grant is entering the second season of a five-year, $160 million deal. If it’s been hard for the Bulls to move Zach LaVine’s contract, I can’t imagine moving Grant’s would be a whole lot easier. Simons is entering the third season of his deal and is owed just over $52 million over this season and next. While Golden State might be eying bigger fish, Simons could make a ton of sense for them if they could make the money work. He’s nearly a 40 percent three-point shooter for his career and has averaged 20+ points per game in each of the last two seasons. The problem is, health has been an issue. If the Dubs strike out on bigger names like Markkanen, checking in on the asking price for Simons might make some sense.
Jarrett Allen isn’t going anywhere. Despite some trade speculation over the last handful of months, the Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to keep both Evan Mobely and Jarrett Allen. The former signed a five-year, $224 million max deal earlier this offseason, while the latter just inked a three-year, $91.0 million extension, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Allen is now set to make $131.0 million over the next five years. All things considered, this is a surprise after all the questions surrounding the Mobley-Allen fit. But, hey, it’s not like they can’t move Allen down the road. He projects to be a highly valuable rim protector for years to come.
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