Fans of the Detroit Pistons have long discussed the possibility of trading for Lauri Markkanen, and they may get their wish according to Zach Lowe.
In a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show, the host predicted that Markkanen will be the hottest name on the trade market in three months if a couple of things happen.
The first is that the Utah Jazz are bad, which is a distinct possibility after they traded away Collin Sexton and John Collins.
The second is that we see the same Markkanen next season that we are seeing now in EuroBasket. Markkanen had a down season last year, averaging fewer than 20 points per game with poor shooting splits while only appearing 47 times, which somewhat tanked his trade value.
But he can regain that by playing like he has this summer in EuroBasket, where he has averaged over 25 points per game, eight rebounds, while shooting the ball a bit better, though he is fresh off a dud in a blowout loss to Germany.
If Markkanen regains the form that led to the Most Improved Player award and an All-Star appearance, he will be talked about a lot at the trade deadline, and while he does make sense for the Pistons, they will have company.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Landing Lauri Markkanen won’t be cheap
Dealing with Utah has never been easy, and if Markkanen is made available for trade, the Jazz are going to want a boatload in return. Markkanen is due a ton of money, which may soften that demand, but Utah is going to hold out for a mega offer.
The Pistons are in the position to make one, as they have expiring contracts, young players and all of their draft picks to trade. And unlike many of the trade proposals we’ve seen for guards, adding Markkanen would solve a problem instead of creating a bigger one.
But there are plenty of other teams that would like to get their hands on a seven-footer who can shoot 3’s, so the Pistons would certainly not be alone in their pursuit if they did decide to make a play for Markkanen.
As I’ve discussed previously, the Spurs are a team with $40 million in expiring contracts, plenty of young talent and a ton of extra draft picks, so they are in better position to trade for a star if they think Markkanen is a player who can push them into contention.
The Spurs wouldn’t be the only team, so the Jazz will be in the driver’s seat if Markkanen starts the season hot and they want to cash in.