Could Jazz sacrifice one-time All-Star to kickstart new era?

The Utah Jazz recently hired Austin Ainge as their new president of basketball operations. During his introductory news conference, the former Boston Celtics assistant GM declared that the franchise wouldn't be tanking on his watch. 

Ainge has high hopes for his first foray into being the primary decision-maker within an NBA front office. As such, Bill Simmons believes Lauri Markkanen could be a sacrificial lamb to help expedite the Jazz's return to prominence. 

“Around the league, people seem to feel like Markkanen isn’t available," Simmons said via his "The Bill Simmons Show" podcast. "…I'm on high alert with Utah. Austin took that job. He had a quote in the press conference that I thought kind of gave me one of those where he was just like, yeah, we're not tanking anymore. He just said it matter of factly...I would not be surprised if they get aggressive and said, okay, let's start coming up with something here. Like, let's figure out how to piece two for one."

Markkanen was a hot commodity last summer, with the Golden State Warriors registering significant interest. 

However, Markkanen ended up re-signing with the Jazz on a four-year $195 million deal that starts in the upcoming season. He produced a solid year for Will Hardy's team, averaging 19 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, shooting 34.6 percent from the perimeter.

Still, if Ainge wants to make a splash, Markkanen is the ideal trade chip. Multiple teams around the NBA would be interested in adding a player with his blend of size and skill. Therefore, Utah could ignite somewhat of a bidding war as it looks to maximize the return on the team's current star. 

The Jazz won 17 games this season. They finished last in a loaded Western Conference. Sometimes, a team must sacrifice its star player to begin adding the necessary depth to compete. Furthermore, Ainge will likely want to put a stamp on the current roster.

Whether that means dealing Markkanen remains to be seen, but Ainge has made his intentions crystal clear: the Jazz are pivoting from rebuilding mode to building something meaningful. 

With the NBA Draft approaching and free agency on the horizon, perhaps we can expect Utah to make some exciting changes to the current roster this summer.