One NBA analyst proposed that the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors make a blockbuster trade this offseason.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Jazz and Warriors:
The trade: The Golden State Warriors trade Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz for Lauri Markkanen
The Warriors and Jazz missed the playoffs in 2024.
Golden State lost the 9-10 play-in tournament game to the Sacramento Kings, while Utah didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament.
“The Warriors need to find a co-star for Stephen Curry,” Buckley wrote in his NBA article. “Fast. That’s why Kuminga is ‘pretty much’ untouchable but not necessarily totally off-limits. If Golden State needed to let him go to land an elite, he might be on the next flight out of town.
“Markkanen is that type of talent. And while he’d effectively erase Golden State’s asset collection—pick swaps could be needed to get this done—it might be worth it to give Curry another shot at the crown. An offense featuring those two with Draymond Green connecting the dots feels impossible to stop. Plus, Markkanen, 27, is young enough that if he stuck around, he could help form the foundation of the franchise’s post-Curry era.
“The Warriors would need to jump through financial hoops to make this mesh with the collective bargaining agreement, but given their stated desire of cutting costs, that shouldn’t be much of an obstacle.”
Markkanen is one of the best players in the NBA. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in 2023-24 while shooting 48.0% from the field, 39.9% from beyond the arc and 89.9% from the free-throw line.
A one-time All-Star, Markkanen will make $18 million next season in the final year of his contract.
“Jazz fans will hate this, as they probably will with anything sending the skilled 7-footer out of Salt Lake City,” Buckley wrote. “That’s fine. This front office has spent the past two deadlines showing a willingness to take one step back for the hope of multiple forward steps in the future.
“This would obviously be a harder reset, but there are worse ways to rebuild than with a mountain of draft picks and a prospect collection featuring Kuminga, Podziemski, Moody, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Walker Kessler.”
Kuminga averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2023-24 while shooting 52.9% from the field, 32.1% from 3 and 74.6% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $7.6 million in 2024-25.
Podziemski had a solid rookie season for the Warriors, averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 38.5% from 3 and 63.3% from the free-throw line. The 21-year-old will make $3.5 million in 2024-25.
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