For years, teams around the league have attempted to lure Lauri Markkanen out of Salt Lake City to no avail.
Nonetheless, with ESPN Insider Shams Charania reporting ahead of the offseason that Detroit would be aggressive to improve their roster this offseason, he directly listed Markkanen as a prime target.
To pry him out of Danny Ainge's hand will be the hard part.
Markkanen will immediately make the Pistons better, but landing him won't be easy
Originally, Salt Lake City was expected to be a brief stop for the versatile forward, but he almost instantly emerged as a legitimate building block in Utah.
Fresh off a career year, averaging 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, and 47.7% shooting from field goal range and 35.5% from beyond the arc, convincing the Jazz to move on from their star forward may be harder than ever.
The possibility of pairing Markkanen alongside star Cade Cunningham to alleviate the offensive burden from the All-NBA guard makes at least calling the Jazz a no-brainer decision.
A two-man game of Cunningham and Markkanen would feed families, and it could immediately be a move that gives the Pistons' long-term upside rather than mortgaging their future away for an aging veteran that provides short-term relief.
Landing Markkanen will almost certainly be a tall task for the Pistons to accomplish, but there are multiple frameworks of a deal that could turn the impossible into a dream offseason.
Pistons have multiple options to land Markkanen, but none will be cheap
The first option on the table would involve a sign-and-trade with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, whose future in the Motor City is already in question.
It's important to remember the Jazz are still rebuilding, and if they don't deem a trade worth their while, they likely won't consider it.
In the same breath, though, if an offer brings the value they're searching for, it's almost certain that Ainge would strongly consider a move, given he's never been gun-shy to trade.
Duren immediately offers the Jazz a long-term option in the frontcourt, which would keep them in the mix to compete in the West, given their mid-season acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. suggests they're hoping to contend sooner rather than later.
However, that would be the trickiest of the options, given that it would require Duren wanting to go to Utah, the Jazz being interested in the Pistons' big man, and all the teams could somehow get past all the shenanigans the CBA brings.
The other option would be to send a package featuring names like Isaiah Stewart, Duncan Robinson, and Caris LeVert to Utah, but would the Jazz be interested in landing any of these names?
Any deal would require large amounts of draft capital and most likely the Pistons first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but it's safe to say that the upside of putting Markkanen alongside Cunningham is far higher than anything a rookie would offer.
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