NBA trade proposal sends Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen to Pistons

NBA trade season tends to blur the line between realism and imagination. This one lives firmly on the imagination side.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently floated a purely hypothetical trade concept that would send Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz to the Pistons.

Here’s how Buckley laid it out.

Pistons receive:

• Lauri Markkanen

Jazz receive:

• Tobias Harris
• Jaden Ivey
• Ron Holland III
• 2030 first-round pick
• 2032 first-round pick

Why Buckley likes the fit

Detroit owns the best record in the Eastern Conference, meaning there’s no urgency to swing big.

But in this scenario, adding Markkanen would raise the Pistons’ ceiling on both ends of the floor without compromising their size or structure.

Markkanen is earning $46.4 million this season and is producing at an All-NBA level, averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks while shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from three, and 89.7 percent at the line.

Buckley called the fit overwhelming.

“Markkanen would be an all-caps AWESOME fit,” Buckley wrote. “He could expand the offensive menu, dramatically improve the spacing and take some heat off of Cunningham’s shoulders without costing the club anything in terms of length or much in the way of disruption and general defensive resistance.”

The idea is that Markkanen’s shooting and versatility would ease the burden on Cunningham, while keeping Detroit’s defensive identity intact.

The reality check

This is where the brakes come on.

League sources have indicated that Utah is not looking to move Markkanen. He does not have a no-trade clause, but there’s been no indication he’s pushing for an exit either.

By all accounts, he enjoys playing for the Jazz, even if the team hasn’t yet reached the postseason during his tenure.

Markkanen has previously played for the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Jazz, and has never appeared in a playoff game. That fact alone fuels plenty of fan-driven speculation, but it hasn’t shifted Utah’s internal stance.

For his career, Markkanen is averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks, and he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2023.

As a thought exercise, the logic is clean. As an actual trade path, it’s far less convincing.