Jazz Keeping Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson Out of Trade Talks

While the Jazz are exploring several moves, they intend to hang on to at least forward Lauri Markkanen and guard Jordan Clarkson, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Recently, they have expressed interest in supposedly available Hawks forward John Collins, and Atlanta is the home of Jazz guard Collin Sexton. But it is not known if Sexton is on the Hawks’ radar or if the Jazz would be willing to surrender Sexton in such a deal.

The Hawks did approach the Jazz about Markkanen, per Fischer, and not surprisingly, the Jazz rebuffed the inquiry. Markkanen is having an All-Star season and the Jazz clearly have made him the focus of their future.

Utah also has a high asking price for power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, so the odds of him being moved don’t seem real high. But the likes of guards Malik Beasley and Mike Conley, and forward Kelly Olynyk, could be made available ahead of the February trade deadline, Fischer wrote.

With the exception of Conley, all of the aforementioned players came to the Jazz before the season. Markkanen and Conley arrived as part of the Donovan Mitchell deal with the Cavaliers, while Vanderbilt and Beasley came from Minnesota in the Rudy Gobert trade. And Olynyk was part of the Bojan Bogdanovic trade with the Pistons.

Markkanen, 25, is 6-foot-11 and averaging career-highs of 22.4 points and 6.0 rebounds, and clearly a major factor in Utah’s surprising start.

Clarkson, 30, is 6-4 and also arrived in a trade with the Cavs several years back. He is averaging 19.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 19 games entering Wednesday night.