Jazz could make shocking bid for $228 million trade candidate

The Utah Jazz are rarely a massive player in free agency, although recent history suggests that they can be a factor in blockbuster trades. In 2022, the Jazz traded away franchise centerpieces Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves for future-driven packages with the hopes of jumpstarting a rebuild.

The rebuild in Salt Lake City didn’t go to plan. Lauri Markkanen, seemingly a throw-in from Cleveland, blossomed into an All-Star in Utah, and the Jazz extended him this summer to the tune of five years for $238 million.

Even with Markkanen on the roster long-term, Utah is not a playoff team. This season, they have no delusions of grandeur and are expected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference. Utah owns Minnesota and Cleveland’s pick in 2025, and has the rights to their own pick provided it lands in the top ten.

With those three selections, Utah has a good chance to land a marquee talent like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, or any of the other high-level talent headlining the loaded 2025 NBA Draft class. With a stellar rookie in town, Markkanen on the books long-term, and a decent, young supporting cast, Utah could be a surprise entrant into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. The Bucks are rumored to be interested in shopping him if their season doesn’t go as planned, and perhaps no one can offer a more lucrative package than the Jazz.

Utah could offer John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and a maximum of 10 first-round picks to the Bucks for their superstar. Danny Ainge would never offer that many picks, so the Jazz could be picky about which selections they give up.

With a starting lineup of Antetokounmpo, Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, and an unnamed rookie, the Jazz would be in an immediate position to succeed. Toss in Walker Kessler, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, and Collins Sexton as bench pieces and the Jazz would be as fearsome as they were with John Stockton and Karl Malone in the 1990s.

If the Bucks trade Antetokounmpo, they would demand the best haul imaginable, and no one in the league can offer as many picks as the Jazz can. For a small-market team, the time to go all-in is clear.

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