Utah Jazz holding onto Lauri Markkanen something Chris Mannix ‘can’t fathom’ | NBA on NBC
Let’s talk about my guy here, okay? Because I read a report on this on NBCports.com. Kurt Healing wrote about uh or reporting on a reporting on a report. Try to put into context into context about one Lowry marketing, the Utah Jazz who’s having a phenomenal year. 27 28 points per game. Jazz for the Jazz playing some decent basketball based on the last couple of seasons. Um, I’ve been saying since the preseason that this guy was going to be available. Now, every time I say something like that or write something like that, I get a little note from somebody in Utah saying, “No, no, no, no, no. We want this guy. This is our guy. We’re building around him. We think he can be a part of the next iteration of successful Jazz basketball.” And my reaction is oftentimes total BS. Like, I just don’t believe it. I just I can’t fathom that a team that is rebuilding around Keonte George and Ace Bailey thinks that 27 28-year-old Lowry Markin is going to be part of this team’s long-term future. I don’t see it. Not when Lowry Markin is playing like a guy who could make a difference on a lot of good teams. All the teams we talked about could use a Lowry Markin. A Lowry Markin who has the style of play that is plugandplay. He can fit anywhere. You want to plug him into the Bulls rotation, he can do it. the Pistons as an extra shooter, he can do it. This guy is the ultimate fit anywhere type of piece. And if I’m Utah and I know that my top eight protected draft pick has Oklahoma City’s name on it, if I don’t get inside that top eight, I am not holding on to Lowry Market. And so for me, Grant, he is to front and center the guy I’m watching the closest. No matter what Utah says publicly, privately, I’m watching that guy till the end 100%. Yeah. And again, as we spoke about John Morant and we’re saying about Lowry, now he’s still young enough. He’s not necessarily young. He’s young enough. He’s under contract that you can build with him. You don’t have to be going for it right now to give up assets for him. He is something just started a new contract. Exactly. So, you have control. Team control is is everything you need in this league, right? And so, if you’re going to give up assets, which I promise you, Utah is going to drain every asset you can possibly get out of you. If you’re gonna get it, Lowry is the type of guy that that’s he’s gonna get a king’s ransom. The thing that really sucks for a lot of different parties is Walker Kesler getting hurt. Um, if I’m Utah, I’m like, man, this was my chance to move in because you’d have a restricted free agency coming up. The team can figure out what they want to do. Then I’d move him and him and now they’re in and I feel bad for Walker Kesler, of course, because, you know, he’s somebody who’s trying to get paid as well. So, he’s somebody once that happened too, it’s like I don’t know what we’re building for in Utah. Um, I think and if we’re just being honest, I I don’t necessarily think Kee George is necessarily part of their future plans either. I I don’t think they worked hard to get Kante George to this point. Correct. They worked very hard. And I’m not saying a team’s going out of the way to get him. I’m just saying I don’t know if they’re necessarily in love with anyone right now to the point where they’re like just so untouchable. I think right now they’re just trying to figure out how do we just how do we build through the draft over the next few years and the guys that have to be moved in order to do so. That that’s a kind of that’s the sense I’m getting about the Utah Jazz. Well, they they they still need that tentpole player, the franchise player. It’s why they took the swing on Ace Bailey because at that point he was the one guy that had that potential. They still need that guy. I can’t fathom them doing everything they can to not put themselves in position to draft that guy. Like, I’m not a draft nick, but every time I talk to one of these college scouts, they’re telling me this is one of the deepest drafts in years, especially at the top. Like, three or four guys could be the number one pick in this year’s draft. And three or four guys could turn out to be number one pick types of talent. So, I I if I’m the Jazz, I want Yeah, exactly. I was at Hoop Summit last year and came away thinking everybody likes to compare Camboozer to uh Paulo Beno is a lot I kind of like he’s kind of like a young Kevin Love to me a little little but that kind of game and like if you can get that and he was not like AJ looked AJ’s just freakishly athletic and impressive and he’s not even the guy on most top of most draft boards. Uh this is such a good draft that Utah has to go for it. It’s unlike Dallas when we were talking about look Dallas is also trying to get a new arena built. Teams don’t tank when they’re trying to get a new arena built. It doesn’t go over well when you’re trying to get voter approval for something. That’s going to be different in Utah where as disappointed as they were in the draft last year and and the way that worked out, they realize I think exactly what you said. They don’t have a flag. They don’t have a Wemi. They don’t have a whoever else you’re going to call the anchor of a team. Not for lack of effort. No, but they’ve got to go get one. And again, this draft is loaded at the top and maybe you get one and maybe you get enough. Bailey develops and you draft one of the top four, five, you get Brown out of Louisville, who I like a lot. You get one of those guys, suddenly maybe you start to have enough. Yeah. Yeah. And and everything you’re saying about the draft, a good team looks many years in advance of who are the draft classes coming up. And a lot of times draft classes are really hyped up and then it’s like all right they didn’t end up panning out to be that good, right? That was I mean this draft class that just happened was really hyped up for a couple years, right? Ace Bailey and those names are really hyped up for years. Um and I’m not saying he’s going to be a bad player. I think there are going to be really good players including Ace could end up being a really good player as well. But this is a draft class that has been looked at for a few years now in advance and said if you can get a top pick still the Pelicans and the Hawks making that trade just it’s haunts my dreams. Like it haunts it haunts me. I like why did that call happen when I was No, I’m just kidding. No, that I’m happy for everyone in Atlanta that has gets to watch that uh watch their pick just sit there. But um you you try to acquire the picks in the years that you want and people have been trying to acquire picks in this draft for a couple years now and most teams have held on to it and don’t want to give that away and there’s a reason why it’s top eight protected with the Utah Jazz because they know that they need to get into this draft at the top and they will make sure they do it. This would be my to put a button on it. This would be my suggestion to Utah in Orlando. Sit down with the Pistons. You know, Justin Xanic, the Ang. Yeah. Tan Langden, your staff out there. Sit down with the Pistons. Have a real conversation here. Like, stop talking about Oscar Thompson. You’re not going to get him. You’re not trading Oscar Thompson. Start talking more about Jaden Ivy. Start talking more about draft picks. Start talking about finding a way to make the salaries work because that’s a problem because $46 million per year for Lowry marketing is a big number. But those two to me need to get together. Tobias Harris and Caris Levert. There you go. And some draft and like some good draft capital. And hey, maybe you can flip Caris Levert for something else down the line. He’s a solid rotation player. Maybe you need that. Tobias Harris. Good locker room guy. You got two of them. Yeah. Kevin Love and Tobias Harris. Great locker room guys to help these young guys grow. But the every time I see, hear, read something about Larry Markin and stay in Utah, I just want to pull my hair out. I just I I don’t believe any of it. I don’t believe you know what also has bothered me I just want to see him on a competitive team like as a basketball good with Finland like that’s what I’m saying like as a basketball fan there’s so many fans in this league that haven’t really gotten a chance to watch Larry Markin compete at a high level unless you’ve watched Finland. So I want to see a playoff run where Larry Markin’s going off and doing the thing and everyone goes wait that’s the guy everyone’s been talking about this whole time. Yes I want to see that. I’m not saying he’s a superstar. What I’m saying perfect number two is a winning piece to a team that’s trying to win a championship. That’s what matters, right? And so let’s see it. I want to see it. I just want to see think Kate Cunningham couldn’t use a guy like that on the wing. A multi-positional big secondary shot creator that they need. I love that fit. It’s almost too good that I just it’s not going to happen because because it’s too good. And you know who would have been it would have been great two years ago when the Warriors try to trade for him. Could he have been a better fit next to those that those guys? I wonder who regrets that more at this point because the Jazz had to pay market in and look he’s fine. He’s he’s still tradable. The Warriors could probably used Yeah, there’s there’s certain teams that there’s certain teams that he just works so well for and I mean the trade machines will be kicking. But again, I will I will remind everyone that majority of the teams that you think he’ll fit for will not work. He makes way too much money and the aprons don’t let it happen. And don’t only just think about this year, think about how his contract will go up in the future and he’s going to get as all NBA teams if he plays 65 games and how everything gets skewed and everything changes and just play with a trade machine a little bit. What’s what’s the finished community look like in Detroit? What do we what do we think about that?
Chris Mannix, Kurt Helin and Grant Liffmann do a deep dive into Lauri Markkanen’s future with the Jazz and the approach Utah may take ahead of NBA trade season. #NBCSports #NBAonNBC #UtahJazz #LauriMarkkanen
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Utah Jazz holding onto Lauri Markkanen something Chris Mannix ‘can’t fathom’ | NBA on NBC
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6 comments
Lauri disappears in the playoffs
Draft capital is not enough. You have to get a good young piece for a player like Lauri. Ivey could have been that but at this point it's too risky.
This is classic talking head myopic worldview. None of these clowns can fathom for even a moment that Utah might ever be good, and so the only reason for the Jazz to exist and to have good players is to develop them and trade them to “real” teams so those teams can benefit from the talent. How many years does Utah need to be rebuilding? Do they draft ten guys? 15 guys? “I can’t see Markkanen being a part of the Jazzes future,” as if that future is ten years down the road. Lauri has 5-6 more years as a star and maybe another 5-6 as a David Robinson style veteran team leader. They start off by acknowledging that Lauri makes any team better. Then say Utah should trade him for Jaden Ivy and some draft picks and that his salary is too high.
They finally get to the point that is driving the entire conversation – “I just want to see him play for a competitive team!” What they mean is “that guy is too good to play in Utah.”
No one wants to deal with Danny Ainge. Being ABNORMALLY TALL, the Spurs should plan on Wemby being in and out of lineups for the rest of his career. So maybe they trade Vassell and Keldon Johnson and FRP for Lauri Markk? Or Spurs could deal with the Bucks and trade for Giannis. A roster of Wemby-Giannis-Bryant-Castle-Fox with Harper-Kornet-Champagnie-Olynyk is a title contender for years to come.
If Jazz don't end up trading Markkanen OKC will get their pick. But Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and co. will be way better players after the season of fighting their way through play ins.😂 I get that they want to be somewhat competitive but still keep their pick and Markkanen on the roster but i higly doubt they can pull it off.
What a bunch of crap …… Why on earth Utah HAS to trade Lauri for a bag of chips…. Just for the sake of it, because YOU want to see him in other situation. Wow, total NONSENSE