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Zach Lowe predicts Lauri Markkanen trade this season, names surprising East side as ‘perfect fit’ landing spot

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Zach Lowe believes Lauri Markkanen has earned a move out of the Utah Jazz, with one East side being the best team for him.

Lauri Markkanen finds himself at a crossroads in his NBA career. The Finnish star has hit a downturn over the last few years after his 2023 All-Star nomination.

However, the last month has done wonders for his reputation. Markkanen proved critics wrong with a brilliant run at the EuroBasket tournament.

Many fans feel Markkanen is wasting his career with the Utah Jazz and should leave the team as soon as possible.

One person who agrees with this sentiment is Zach Lowe. And on the latest episode of his podcast, Lowe even picked the team best suited for Markkanen.

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Zach Lowe urges Lauri Markkanen trade, claims Detroit Pistons are a ‘perfect fit’

Zach Lowe spoke on his podcast recently about Lauri Markkanen. The longtime NBA expert doesn’t see the Finnish superstar staying with the Jazz much longer.

While his contract value is high, there are several teams in the NBA that would like to have him on their team. And Lowe believes the Detroit Pistons are the best landing spot for him.

“I just can’t imagine a scenario where Lauri Markkanen is on the Jazz in a year. He just has to be looking around at this team and wondering what happened.

“The deal is huge, $46 million this year, all the way through 2029 where it’s $53.5 million. And he missed half of last season with some injuries, some tankery…

“I have talked to a lot of people. Everybody loves Lauri Markkanen. He’s an easy fit anywhere. They don’t love the contract. They’re just like ‘We gotta see him play himself back into that sort of value.’

“EuroBasket helped, he was just destroying people at EuroBasket. The Detroit Pistons might be my favorite Lauri Markkanen team. You can tee it up.

“Tobias Harris is going to be a free agent next year. Jaden Ivey, here’s a young guard to add to your collection of young guards who may or may not amount to a ton, but he is exciting.

“Throw in some picks, done. We got it. Perfect fit with Cade. Doesn’t need the ball all the time. Can do stuff with the ball. I love it. I think Detroit would be interested if this ever comes to bear.”

What would a potential Lauri Markkanen trade package look like?

This is what we think a potential trade between the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons could look like:

Detroit Pistons receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz receive: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, 2028 First-Round pick (DET), 2030 First-Round pick (Top-10 protected, DET)

This allows the Detroit Pistons to move on from Tobias Harris’ expiring contract while calling an end to the Jaden Ivey project which hasn’t worked out for them.

Adding Marcus Sasser is simply to make the numbers work, as the Pistons needed to clear more space beyond Harris and Ivey to land Markkanen.

The two first-round picks will be valuable to the Utah Jazz, especially as they come years down the line, when they presumably could be in the position to use them in a trade to land another asset.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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