Jan 25, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) controls the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen Could Be Among NBA’s Top Trade Targets

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 2:28 PM ET

Despite any and all efforts from the Utah Jazz to lock in Lauri Markkanen as a core piece of their rebuild and future, the man still seems to be finding his way into trade buzz across this offseason.

And while Markkanen seems primed to land on Utah's roster for the Jazz's season opener in late October barring any unforeseen changes, in the mind of Zach Lowe, that status could easily change over the course of the year depending on how the upcoming campaign pans out.

On an episode of The Zach Lowe Show, Lowe recently dove into a few lingering storylines revolving around this NBA season, where, when it came to the Jazz, he unraveled what could be in store for Markkanen–– calling him potentially the most interesting trade candidate in the league if he can retain his style of play with Finland at EuroBasket.

"By the way, Utah... Team Finland Lauri Markkanen, oh my God. He's back," Lowe said. "If that guy shows up in Utah for the first few months of the season. Sexton, gone. Collins, gone. Clarkson, gone. The writing's on the wall. If that dude rebuilds his trade value, because he's got a big contract over a lot of years. He is the most interesting trade candidate in the NBA in the next three, four months, if this continues, and if Utah loses as much as I expect them to lose."

Markkanen's been on a dominant tear in Finland since he's been overseas, showing signs of his Most Improved Player campaign from 2022 in Utah and the last time he appeared in the EuroBasket action. It's reasonable to say that if that keeps up into the regular season, the interest from teams to acquire him via trade around the NBA would likely see a bit of a jump as well, creating an interesting proposal for the Jazz.

Up to this point, the Jazz have shown no inclination that a Markkanen trade is brewing. Even last offseason, when the chatter of a potential deal was much louder, it was clear this front office valued their franchise star extremely highly and would probably take a pretty impressive package to pry him away.

Last season saw some bumps in the road for Markkanen, and in turn, his trade value, averaging his lowest scoring and efficiency numbers since arriving in Utah, while also playing less than 50 games on the year. But, if he can be both available and productive for his fourth year with the Jazz, it's easy to see how teams around the league may start to have more interest in his services.

It's a tempting route to go down, but time will tell if the Utah front office would truly be willing to pull the trigger on such a move. Thus, making him what Lowe dubs as perhaps the most interesting trade candidate to watch in the NBA.

This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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