<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-continues-to-be-nagged-back-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen continues to be nagged by back injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jazz-news-Lauri-Markkanen-continues-to-be-nagged-by-back-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen continues to be nagged by back injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T08:48:33-08:00">December 13th, 8:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T08:48:33-08:00">December 13th, 8:48am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen continues to deal with a lingering back injury, according to the <a href="https://official.nba.com/nba-injury-report-2024-25-season/" rel="noopener">NBA’s official injury report</a> before Friday’s game vs the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, he’s dealt with a plethora of injuries already this season. Notably, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-suffers-knee-injury-victor-wembanyama-collision">Markkanen suffered a knee injury</a> after colliding with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. Although he’s played in 18 games this season, the Jazz have been extra cautious with the Finnish player.</p><p>On the year, his averages have taken a dip. He’s averaging 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. His rebounding and point numbers have reduced since last season. However, Markkanen is playing 31.8 minutes and continues to deal with that back injury. As a result, he hasn’t been able to exert as much effort due to pain tolerance. Not to mention, the Jazz aren’t competing for a playoff spot.</p><p>They have a 5-18 record, which is the second-worst in the league. Even with Markkanen on the roster, it hasn’t been enough to propel them to wins. Furthermore, he’s dealing with injuries to his knee and his back. The franchise might want to be cautious with him. Even if it means not having many wins, preserving the franchise player is a key prerogative.</p><h2><b>Lauri’s Markkanen injury status will be huge for the Jazz as they take on the Suns</b></h2><p>The Phoenix Suns are coming into Salt Lake City and are riding a low wave after losing their last three straight. The last time Phoenix was in Utah, they dismantled the Jazz in the first NBA Cup game. That game was also without Kevin Durant. With <a href="https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/suns_may_get_kevin_durant_back_vs_up_and_down_jazz/s1_17045_41398215" rel="noopener">Durant projected to come back</a> for the Utah game, they could have all hands on deck. Despite the Jazz having only five wins, adding their sixth against the Suns would be a huge morale boost.</p><p>They’ll need to rely on leadership. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-jordan-clarkson-lauri-markkanen-admission">Jazz teammate Jordan Clarkson dropped a hilarious admission on Markkanen’s leadership</a>. After all, the former Arizona basketball standout has a history before the NBA. He was enlisted in the Finnish military despite being seven feet tall. Because of that, people have to be ready for whatever comes at them. It’s the same case for Markkanen in the NBA and for the Jazz.</p><p>If Utah wants a signature win, they’ll need Markkanen to play through his injury. Although a back injury is one to be cautious about, an opportunity to knock off a star-studded team might be worth it. There’s no official report until 30 minutes before tipoff. As a result, fans will have to patiently wait and see if the Jazz forward will suit up for Friday’s contest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen continues to be nagged by back injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-suffers-knee-injury-victor-wembanyama-collision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz star Lauri Markkanen suffers knee injury after Victor Wembanyama collision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Lauri-Markkanen-suffers-knee-injury-after-Victor-Wembanyama-collision.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz star Lauri Markkanen suffers knee injury after Victor Wembanyama collision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-27T09:02:57-08:00">November 27th, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-28T07:43:22-08:00">November 28th, 7:43am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz suffered through another rough night at the office against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Not only did the Jazz drop to 4-13 with a 128-115 loss to Victor Wembanyama and Co. that eliminated them from NBA Cup contention, but they lost star Lauri Markkanen in the process to a left knee contusion.</p><p>Markkanen got hurt in the fourth quarter after a knee-to-knee collision with Wembanyama. The Jazz star had to be helped off the court and into the locker room. Jazz head coach Will Hardy <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/jazz-lauri-markkanen-injury" rel="noopener">confirmed the contusion</a> after the game, per NBA.com.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Looks like knee-to-knee with Wembanyama that led to the Lauri Markkanen injury. <a href="https://t.co/ESpMq2jJEY">pic.twitter.com/ESpMq2jJEY</a></p><p>— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/BensHoops/status/1861627497198297200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Utah hasn’t yet <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-11-27_10AM.pdf" rel="noopener">released an injury report</a> for Wednesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets, so it’s unclear what Markkanen’s status will be. Given it’s a back-to-back this early in the season and the Jazz aren’t exactly prioritizing winning right now, it would be a surprise if the Finnish forward suits up.</p><p>Markkanen has already missed three games this season for Utah. He has also seen his overall numbers dip a bit after blossoming into an All-Star talent in recent years, which led to him signing a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-how-lauri-markkanen-enjoying-utah-after-238-million-contract-extension">massive $238 million contract extension</a> this past offseason after trade talks. Just two seasons ago, the big man put up 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Those averages dropped slightly to 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season but now sit at 19.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game so far in 2024-25.</p><h2><b>Where Lauri Markkanen, Jazz go from here</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Lauri-Markkanen-suffers-knee-injury-after-Victor-Wembanyama-collision-2.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The hope is Lauri Markkanen’s knee injury isn’t serious. But whether he’s healthy or not, the Jazz are very clearly one of the teams that will be at the front of the line in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. At 4-13, Utah is the second-worst team in the Western Conference and<a href="https://www.tankathon.com" rel="noopener"> sitting at fifth in the Tankathon standings</a>.</p><p>With his fat extension in tow, Markkanen is a franchise cornerstone, but he’s not a clear No. 1 guy on a contender and needs way more help. Walker Kessler is a solid center, but his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-the-dangelo-russell-reason-jazz-wont-trade-walker-kessler-to-lakers">name has been in trade rumors</a>. Keyonte George is a promising youngster who has shown flashes but is still quite raw. 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks is out with a season-ending injury. There are a bunch of veterans like John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton who are trade candidates.</p><p>The Jazz will look to get a true centerpiece in the upcoming draft, whether that’s Flagg or somebody else. For now, cross your fingers on the Lauri Markkanen injury front.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen suffers knee injury after Victor Wembanyama collision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-brandin-podziemski-dishes-paul-george-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski dishes on past Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-news-Brandin-Podziemski-dishes-on-past-Paul-George-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski dishes on past Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-18T12:11:06-08:00">November 18th, 12:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-18T12:18:42-08:00">November 18th, 12:18pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brandin Podziemski <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-brandin-podziemski-warriors-trade-untouchable-stephen-curry-klay-thompson">was a mainstay in trade rumors</a> this offseason. With the Golden State Warriors attempting to extend their championship window with Stephen Curry, the 2023 first-round pick was a logical candidate to be included in a package for a marquee name.</p><p>Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was active in trade negotiations, pursuing Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. However, he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-unchanged-amid-jazz-demands">reportedly unwilling to include Podziemski</a> in a deal. The 21-year-old guard recently <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDiRFqXdKew&amp;t=2659s" rel="noopener">spoke about the organization’s trust in him</a>.</p><p>“You feel the respect and love from Mike Dunleavy, [owner] Joe Lacob and our front office team of how much they value me after just seeing one year of what I can do,” Podziemski told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective. “It’s not like you’re just being traded for another role player; it’s All-Stars you’re talking about. So seeing that was like, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ But also seeing your value across the league of teams wanting you to trade for their All-Star. They don’t want just nothing in return, they want something. So to see the Clippers and the Jazz want me in return, it shows not only Golden State’s value of me but also teams around the league.”</p><p>Golden State’s decision to keep its young core intact is showing promising returns early this season.</p><h2>Brandin Podziemski and Warriors showing promise during hot start</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Brandin-Podziemski_73afad.jpg"><figcaption>Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Warriors have posted a 10-2 record, the second-best in the NBA behind the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. Steve Kerr’s squad ranks fourth in both offense and defense through 12 games.</p><p>Podziemski’s stats are down compared to his rookie year. The shooting guard has averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 20.0 percent from three. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-brandin-podziemskis-insane-assist-blowing-everyones-mind">he’s made an impact on both ends of the floor</a> using his basketball IQ and scheme versatility.</p><p>The Santa Clara product is expected to step into an expanded role after Klay Thompson’s departure. He admitted he feels heightened expectations after Golden State refused to trade him for a star.</p><p>“It was hard for me to process it mentally because with anything in life, any industry, any business, with success comes expectation,” he said. “Just knowing the situation with Klay and Chris, not knowing if they’re going to be back, but most likely probably not going to be back, you see a window of opportunity for yourself. So I kind of just looked at it that way, obviously everybody’s hyping you up but at the same time tearing you down. Why didn’t we trade him, we should’ve traded him for X,Y,Z.”</p><p>The Warriors revamped their roster this offseason, moving on from Thompson and adding De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson as depth around Curry. Their early success has inspired confidence that they can contend for another title. Podziemski will continue to play a key role in Golden State in the short and long term.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski dishes on past Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-playing-kings-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lauri Markkanen gets final injury status for Jazz-Kings game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jazz-news-Is-Lauri-Markkanen-playing-vs-Kings-Latest-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Lauri Markkanen gets final injury status for Jazz-Kings game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-16T12:27:20-08:00">November 16th, 12:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-16T12:27:20-08:00">November 16th, 12:27pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz are set to play the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-john-collins-hero-moment-mavericks-spoils-luka-doncic-huge-night">Utah is hoping to carry their momentum after defeating the Dallas Mavericks</a> 115-113 on Thursday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-reveals-real-reason-he-didnt-return-injury-mavericks">Lauri Markkanen, however, is dealing with an injury</a>.</p><p>Markkanen is battling a left eye contusion. He was initially questionable for Saturday’s game, but his official injury status was recently revealed.</p><p>So is Lauri Markkanen playing tonight vs. the Kings?</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV </i></b><a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored"><b><i>(click for a free trial)*</i></b></a></p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen’s injury status vs. Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jazz-Lauri-Markkanen-slamming-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Markkanen <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-11-16_02PM.pdf" rel="noopener">is available for Saturday’s game</a>, per the NBA injury report. The Jazz would love to build momentum and win once again on Saturday, so having Markkanen on the floor will be important.</p><p>Saturday’s game represents the second of a back-to-back for Sacramento. The Kings were defeated in overtime by the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-126 on Friday night. De’Aaron Fox did all he could, scoring 60 points in the competitive defeat. Sacramento will try to bounce back against Markkanen and the Jazz.</p><p>Markkanen is averaging 16.3 points per game on 39.8 percent field goal and 41.9 percent three-point shooting so far in the 2024-25 NBA season. The Jazz star is also recording per game averages of 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists.</p><p>The 27-year-old, who made the 2022-23 NBA All-Star team, is hoping to lead the Jazz back to contention. However, expectations are not especially high for the team. Utah is just 3-8 to begin the new campaign.</p><p>The Kings are 7-6 so far this season. Sacramento has not played their best basketball but they are displaying signs of being a potential contender. Earning the upset on the road, even in the second of a back-to-back for the Kings, will be a challenge for the Jazz.</p><p>But when it comes to the question of if Lauri Markkanen is playing tonight vs. the Kings, the answer is yes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lauri Markkanen gets final injury status for Jazz-Kings game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-reveals-real-reason-he-didnt-return-injury-mavericks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen reveals real reason he didn’t return from injury vs. Mavericks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jazz-news-Lauri-Markkanen-reveals-real-reason-he-didnt-return-from-injury-vs-Mavericks.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen reveals real reason he didn’t return from injury vs. Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-15T07:40:35-08:00">November 15th, 7:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-15T07:40:35-08:00">November 15th, 7:40am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The start of the 2024-25 season hasn’t been kind to Lauri Markkanen. Entering the Utah Jazz’s Thursday night contest against the Dallas Mavericks, he’s averaging just 15 points on 39.4 percent shooting from the field in the three games he’s played in since returning from injury. But making matters worse was the injury he sustained in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-jordan-clarkson-face-viral-luka-doncic-mistake-becomes-meme">Jazz’s 115-113 win over the Mavericks</a> that prevented him from finishing the game.</p><p>Markkanen, with 7:37 to go in the fourth quarter, hauled in a rebound with the Jazz still up by 10, 104-94. However, in the fight for the basketball, Mavericks forward Naji Marshall attempted to poke the ball free from Markkanen’s grasp. Marshall, however ended up hitting Markkanen <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/1857284754585878561" rel="noopener">on the face</a> first before getting the basketball and was promptly whistled for a loose ball foul that even underwent review for a potential hostile act.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Naji Marshall unintentionally hits Lauri Markkanen in the eyes. Lauri went to the locker room with 7:37 remaining in the 4Q, and did not return to the game since. <a href="https://t.co/S2yWW5BREh">pic.twitter.com/S2yWW5BREh</a></p><p>— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/1857284754585878561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Markkanen immediately crumpled to the ground in the aftermath of the poke from Marshall and he was clutching onto his face, forcing the Jazz to take him out of the ballgame for good. And this was for the best, as Markkanen revealed following the game, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, that it was <a href="https://x.com/andyblarsen/status/1857286570665197633" rel="noopener">his vision difficulties</a> that prevented him from returning to the game, not the hit to the nose.</p><p>The Jazz’s doctors even had to dilate Markkanen’s eye to help him see better, which shows just how impactful the hit from Marshall ended up being. It’s not quite clear as of the moment if Markkanen will have to miss the Jazz’s Saturday night game against the Sacramento Kings, although the silver lining of this is that the knock that kept him out for the final 7:37 of their win over the Mavericks is unrelated to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-final-injury-update-nuggets-game">back injury that he was dealing with</a>.</p><p>Before exiting the game for good, Markkanen had another quiet outing for the Jazz. He scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting from the field in 24 minutes, and Utah will be hoping that he rounds into form soon especially after he signed a long-term extension this past offseason.</p><h2><b>Jazz get third win of the season in dramatic fashion</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/John-Collins-and-Jordan-Clarkson.jpg"></figure><p>It looked as though the Jazz were going to relinquish the 16-point lead that they built so carefully against the Mavericks on Thursday night. Losing Lauri Markkanen did not help matters at all. Utah was outscored 19-11 following Markkanen’s early exit from the ballgame, and if not for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-john-collins-hero-moment-mavericks-spoils-luka-doncic-huge-night">heroics of both Jordan Clarkson and John Collins</a>, the Jazz may have been forced to take another moral victory instead of an actual one that counts in the win column.</p><p>It was a team effort that buoyed the Jazz to victory lane. Much has already been made about Clarkson and Collins’ contributions, but the likes of Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, and Collin Sexton also deserve their flowers for how they contributed to the win over the Mavericks.</p><p>Filipowski, in particular, strung together a few stretches of solid two-way play; he was confident on offense whenever he was given the ball, and he even survived against Luka Doncic on defense on multiple occasions.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen reveals real reason he didn’t return from injury vs. Mavericks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-final-injury-update-nuggets-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lauri Markkanen’ final injury update for Nuggets game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_0923.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lauri Markkanen’ final injury update for Nuggets game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-02T12:32:03-07:00">November 2nd, 12:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-02T12:32:03-07:00">November 2nd, 12:32pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz visit the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Lauri Markkanen appeared on the Jazz injury report initially as doubtful with a back injury. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/is-jazz-star-lauri-markkanen-playing-vs-spurs-latest-injury-update">Markkanen had missed the Jazz’s last game</a> against the San Antonio Spurs due to said back injury.</p><p>But at Jazz shootaround in the afternoon ahead of their game against Denver, Lauri Markkanen <a href="https://x.com/andyblarsen/status/1852777016606507303" rel="noopener">was officially ruled out</a> due to the back injury, as per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Here’s everything we know about Markkanen’s recent injury and his current playing status.</p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen’s injury status for the Jazz</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-leaves-kings-game-concerning-back-injury">Lauri Markkanen first suffered the back injury</a> against the Sacramento Kings and was forced to leave the game early. He did not return after halftime due to back spasms. This will be the second consecutive game that the Jazz big man will miss due to the back injury.</p><p>The Jazz are searching for their first win of the 2024-25 season after starting the year 0-5. It will be a tough task for them going into Denver without their best player.</p><p>He found himself in trade rumors over the summer but nothing ever materialized and nothing seemed concrete. Late in the offseason, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-238-million-contract-extension-amid-trade-rumors">Markkanen signed a multi-year contract extension</a> with the Jazz.</p><p>Through the Jazz’s first four games of the season, Markkanen had been averaging 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists with splits of 38.5 percent shooting from the field, 45 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>A one-time All-Star, Markkanen is a player that has and will draw plenty of interest should the Jazz ever indicate that they would be willing to trade him.</p><p>Markkanen isn’t the only injury the Jazz are dealing with though. Second-year forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-taylor-hendricks-gets-important-timeline-update-after-gruesome-injury">Taylor Hendricks suffered a gruesome leg injury</a> and will miss the entirety of the season. Jordan Clarkson is dealing with a heel injury and will be reevaluated in one week. Both Collin Sexton and Keyonte George are dealing with minor injuries that aren’t expected to keep them out of the lineup. Rookie first round pick Isaiah Collier has been out with a hamstring injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lauri Markkanen’ final injury update for Nuggets game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/is-jazz-star-lauri-markkanen-playing-vs-spurs-latest-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Jazz star Lauri Markkanen playing vs. Spurs? Latest injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Is-Lauri-Markkanen-playing-vs.-Spurs-Latest-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Is Jazz star Lauri Markkanen playing vs. Spurs? Latest injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-31T12:17:58-07:00">October 31st, 12:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-31T12:18:34-07:00">October 31st, 12:18pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One team has failed to win a single game so far during the 2024-25 NBA season. That team is the Utah Jazz, as they find themselves 0-4 ahead of a Halloween night matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. To make matters worse, the Jazz have been negatively impacted by injuries early on in the season, as second-year forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazzs-taylor-hendricks-suffers-serious-lower-leg-injury">Taylor Hendricks suffered a gruesome-looking leg injury</a> that will force him to miss the rest of the year, and All-Star forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-leaves-kings-game-concerning-back-injury">Lauri Markkanen left the team’s last game with a back injury</a>.</p><p>While it doesn’t appear as if Markkanen’s injury is serious to the point where he will miss a prolonged period of time, Utah’s star finds himself <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-10-31_02PM.pdf" rel="noopener">on the injury report</a> ahead of Thursday’s game. This injury concern has sparked the question: Is Lauri Markkanen playing against the Spurs?</p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen injury status vs. Spurs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Markkanen-reacts.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The bottom line is that if the Jazz are to snap their losing streak to begin the season, Markkanen is going to have to be on the court. He is their best player and primary scoring option, which is why he will be needed on Thursday night against Wembanyama and the Spurs. However, Markkanen’s status is still uncertain, as he finds himself listed as questionable to play with what the team is calling low back spasms.</p><p>Markkanen left Tuesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings with this back injury after just 17 minutes on the court. He finished the game with seven points and three rebounds to his name.</p><p>In order for the Jazz to get to where they want to be and possibly salvage what has transpired to begin the new year, then Markkanen will need to be available and on the floor. After becoming an All-Star during the 2022-23 campaign, Markkanen averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 55 total games last season.</p><p>As a result of his commitment to the organization and success on the court, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-238-million-contract-extension-amid-trade-rumors">Jazz restructured Markkanen’s current contract</a> and gave him a new extension. He will now make $238 million through the 2028-29 season after being included in a lot of offseason trade rumors, mainly connected to the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>If Markkanen is held out of action on Thursday night against the Spurs, it will be John Collins, Cody Williams, and Brice Sensabaugh that see their minutes increase. Rookie big man Kyle Filipowski could also see his role increase with Hendricks out of the equation. The possible absence of Markkanen would also lead to Collin Sexton and Keyonte George being Utah’s main scoring factors against San Antonio.</p><p>So, when it comes to the question of if Markkanen is going to be playing in Thursday night’s game, Utah will provide further details on his official status during pregame warmups.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is Jazz star Lauri Markkanen playing vs. Spurs? Latest injury update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-leaves-kings-game-concerning-back-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz star Lauri Markkanen leaves Kings game with concerning back injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lauri-Markkanen-leaves-Kings-game-with-concerning-back-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz star Lauri Markkanen leaves Kings game with concerning back injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-29T19:42:37-07:00">October 29th, 7:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-29T20:38:36-07:00">October 29th, 8:38pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz were trying to earn their first win of the 2024-25 NBA season on Tuesday, but that taxing task became utterly implausible once they lost their best player. Lauri Markkanen exited the 113-96 home loss versus the Sacramento Kings and <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1851450702692061443" rel="noopener">was ruled out</a> with back spasms, per the team. He finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting.</p><p>This disconcerting news comes one night after 2023 top-10 draft pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazzs-taylor-hendricks-suffers-serious-lower-leg-injury">Taylor Hendricks suffered devastating leg injuries</a>. Fans’ optimism is quickly dissipating.</p><p>Despite being mired in constant trade rumors, Utah continues to reaffirm its commitment to Markkanen. The All-Star forward agreed to a massive five-year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-how-lauri-markkanen-enjoying-utah-after-238-million-contract-extension">$238 million contract extension</a> in the offseason, validating the big leap he has made since landing on the Jazz ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He is averaging 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range in 124 games with the franchise.</p><p>If one was to quickly do the math with the numbers provided, they would realize that health is an issue for Markkanen. The No. 7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has yet to play 70 games in a single season, a complication that no team wants for its top guy. Utah’s playoff prospects are slim even with Markkanen on the court, but it is near-impossible to imagine a surprise year if he misses extended time.</p><h2><b>Jazz are stumbling early in the season</b></h2><p>Back spasms can be tricky to navigate, so Jazz fans will eagerly wait for an encouraging update from head coach Will Hardy. Unfortunately, the team did not give Salt Lake City much else to focus on, as Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento to a breezy victory. However, former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points on 50 percent shooting, and rookies Kyle Filipowski (12 points, eight boards) and Brice Sensabaugh (three made 3-pointers) were solid in defeat.</p><p>The Jazz (0-4) will presumably place a decent amount of trust in John Collins if Lauri Markkanen is unable to play on Halloween night versus the San Antonio Spurs. Good fortune is not always associated with that specific holiday, but this squad may need to achieve success the unconventional way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen leaves Kings game with concerning back injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-draymond-green-take-failed-lauri-markkanen-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Draymond Green’s honest ‘trash’ take on failed Lauri Markkanen trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-news-Draymond-Greens-honest-trash-take-on-failed-Lauri-Markkanen-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Draymond Green’s honest ‘trash’ take on failed Lauri Markkanen trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-29T15:49:06-07:00">October 29th, 3:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-29T15:49:06-07:00">October 29th, 3:49pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lauri Markkanen might have been celebrating alongside Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors, who were cruising to a 41-point road win over the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. This scenario could have been reality had Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. succeeded in trade discussions with Utah.</p><p>In the offseason, Dunleavy sought to bolster Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s pursuit of another championship by exploring deals with the Jazz for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-wanted-trade-both-paul-george-lauri-markkanen">Markkanen and with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George</a>. Ideally, the Warriors would have welcomed both, though securing either was a tall order, as both Utah and Los Angeles expected a solid return on their assets.</p><h2><b>Draymond Green not liking the potential Lauri Markkanen trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-Draymond-Green-guarding-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“That could have been trash, by the way,” Green <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42058551/steph-curry-warriors-concerned-have-been" rel="noopener">said while speaking with</a> ESPN earlier in the month. “Markkanen coming here, we don’t know. We have never seen it. So there was no thought of what could have been because we don’t know what that look like.”</p><p>Dunleavy wasn’t ready to part with the Warriors’ young prospects and valuable picks for a single star unless it was a transformative player who could instantly propel Golden State to the edge of a fifth title within 11 seasons.</p><p>In trade discussions for Markkanen, the Jazz reportedly aimed to secure rising guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-what-golden-state-told-brandin-podziemski-amid-paul-george-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors">Brandin Podziemski from the Warriors</a>, a request that ultimately caused Golden State to pull back from negotiations.</p><p>George chose to opt out of his contract and secured a four-year, $212 million max deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. Meanwhile, Markkanen agreed to a five-year, $238 million renegotiated extension with the Jazz, strategically signing on the exact day that rendered him ineligible for trade this season.</p><p>With George heading to the Sixers, Golden State’s hesitance around a Markkanen trade grew. The sense was that Markkanen wouldn’t elevate the Warriors’ ceiling enough to justify the hefty price tag. At 27, he still hasn’t fully established himself as a superstar</p><h2><b>The Warriors 12-man rotation</b></h2><p>The Warriors have opened the season with a solid 2-1 record, and head coach Steve Kerr has been experimenting with a broad 12-man rotation.</p><p>While it allows for flexibility, such an extensive rotation is likely unsustainable for a team focused on a deep playoff run. Consolidating some of this depth in exchange for an experienced veteran could strengthen Golden State’s roster as the season progresses.</p><p>For now, Green and his teammates have a chance to prove the strength of the current roster before general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. considers any significant changes.</p><p>That depth will face a challenge on Tuesday as the Warriors square off against the New Orleans Pelicans (10 p.m. ET, TNT) without Curry (left ankle peroneal strain) and De’Anthony Melton (back), both sidelined for at least the next two games.</p><p>In the first three games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-klay-thompson-truth-bomb-buddy-hield">Buddy Hield has demonstrated</a> his ability to fill the perimeter gap left by Klay Thompson. The Warriors appreciate Melton’s versatility and Anderson’s basketball IQ. They believe these seasoned players can effectively integrate with young talents like Jonathan Kuminga, Podziemski, and Moses Moody, while complementing the skills of veterans Curry, Green, and Andrew Wiggins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green’s honest ‘trash’ take on failed Lauri Markkanen trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-warriors-wanted-trade-both-paul-george-lauri-markkanen');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors wanted to trade for both Paul George, Lauri Markkanen');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-wanted-to-trade-for-both-Paul-George-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors wanted to trade for both Paul George, Lauri Markkanen</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-22T08:23:58-07:00">October 22nd, 8:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-22T08:25:34-07:00">October 22nd, 8:25am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Expectations are always high for the Golden State Warriors. That is because they have captured four titles since 2015, and Stephen Curry is still in the midst of his prime at 36 years old. Curry and the Warriors have been the league’s best dynasty over the last decade, yet the organization has appeared to take a step back in recent years since winning their last championship in 2022.</p><p>In attempts to remain relevant in the championship picture and capitalize on the final years of Curry’s illustrious career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-next-steps-failed-lauri-markkanen-trade-pursuit">Golden State was aggressive on the trade market this offseason</a>, so much so that they looked to acquire Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz and Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p>While it appeared at first as if the Warriors targeted Markkanen after failing to come to terms on a deal with the Clippers for George, that was not the case. In fact, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors front office were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5841720/2024/10/22/warriors-mike-dunleavy-steph-curry-nba/?source=user_shared_article&amp;utm_content=buffer31c9c&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" rel="noopener">looking to acquire both</a> George and Markkanen to pair with Curry and Draymond Green during the 2024-25 season, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.</p><p>A move like this wouldn’t have been unprecedented for the Warriors, an organization that has made their intentions of competing for championships clear.</p><h2><b>Warriors’ pursuit of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-vs.-Jonathan-Kuminga.jpg"><figcaption>Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Warriors cleared their roster in 2016 to grab Kevin Durant in free agency, and the team didn’t back down from making a big move during the 2019-20 season when they traded for Andrew Wiggins. Winning is all that matters to this franchise, hence the aggression they had pursuing George and Markkanen on the trade market.</p><p>Due to George having the ability to opt out of his contract with the Clippers prior to free agency, there was a chance that the Warriors could use this to their advantage and save assets to offer in a deal for Markkanen since the Jazz would be wanting a haul for the young star. This was a really thought-out and smart plan for the Warriors. Unfortunately for them, both the Clippers and Jazz played hardball when it came to making a trade with an organization that has won four titles over the last decade.</p><p>Whereas the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-failed-paul-george-pursuit-nba-free-agency">Clippers demanded Jonathan Kuminga to be included</a> in any trade package for George, league sources told ClutchPoints, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-unchanged-amid-jazz-demands">Jazz were wanting the rest of the Warriors’ young core</a>. For Markkanen, that would’ve meant relinquishing Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, possibly Trayce Jackson-Davis, and multiple future first-round picks that would’ve left Golden State with zero draft capital. Essentially, the Warriors would’ve been left with a core group of Curry, Green, George, and Markkanen, with whoever else the team could’ve added to their roster via minimum contracts in free agency.</p><p>This wasn’t a realistic path for this franchise, especially since financial hardship and owning the league’s highest tax bill took a toll on the front office’s ability to make significant adjustments.</p><p>Once again, change was starring the Warriors down. Chris Paul was going to be leaving in the offseason, and Klay Thompson ultimately decided to part ways with the franchise he had spent his entire career with, winning four championships alongside Curry and Green. Golden State had the cap space and the ability to pull off trades for both George and Markkanen, yet neither deal happened because of the fact that the Warriors didn’t believe sacrificing their entire future for these two players was worthwhile.</p><p>“Mike is very sensible,” Kerr told The Athletic. “He just said to me, ‘It doesn’t make sense to sell your entire future for a team that you think can be pretty good, but isn’t awesome, right?’ Especially at this stage with the ages of our stars.”</p><p>Warriors owner Joe Lacob echoes a similar response, claiming that it is important to know that going “all in” means giving up every single asset the team has built or intends on building. While the idea of adding Markkanen and George stands out, this isn’t something the Warriors were willing to truly go all in for.</p><p>The one thing that is known about the Warriors heading into the 2024-25 season is that everyone in the organization has full belief in Dunleavy’s abilities to once again build this organization into a championship contender. While they may not have added an All-Star this offseason, Golden State held onto their young core while also continuing to build around Curry with key veterans like Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson.</p><p>For the first time in many years, the Warriors have the depth and shooting needed to once again be a force in the Western Conference. Time will tell what stars will become available and possibly become Dunleavy’s newest target to ensure long-term success for Golden State.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Warriors wanted to trade for both Paul George, Lauri Markkanen

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-warriors-trad-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lauri Markkanen breaks silence on Warriors trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jazz-news-Lauri-Markkanen-breaks-silence-on-Warriors-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Lauri Markkanen breaks silence on Warriors trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-13T20:09:40-07:00">October 13th, 8:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T13:09:46-07:00">October 14th, 1:09pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen removed himself from trade discussions, at least until after the season, by signing a five-year, $238 million extension on August 7. This move effectively ended the Golden State Warriors’ pursuit of him during the offseason.</p><p>The rumors surrounding multiple teams pursuing Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen persisted throughout the offseason. However, when it came time to make a decision, the Jazz opted to retain their best player by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-how-lauri-markkanen-enjoying-utah-after-238-million-contract-extension">signing him to an extension</a> through the 2028-29 season.</p><p>Markkanen discussed the Warriors’ <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-conversation-lauri-markkanen?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=150172113&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=7u2pv&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">trade interest during an interview</a> with NBA insider Marc Stein on Substack.</p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen knowing he did something right</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jazz-Lauri-Markkanen-slamming-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>On being in the headlines throughout the summer, Markkanen said, “I mean … it’s cool to know that you’re wanted and it means that you’ve done something right on the basketball court that teams would like to get you. .. I was able to take it pretty easy and not worry about it.”</p><p>According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors presented the strongest offer for Lauri Markkanen this past summer, including Moses Moody, multiple first-round picks, several pick swaps, and additional second-round picks.</p><p>Negotiations stalled when the Jazz prioritized acquiring Brandin Podziemski over Moses Moody from the Warriors, as reported by Charania. The Warriors were firm in either keeping Podziemski or limiting the amount of draft capital involved in the deal. Ultimately, the Jazz held their ground, causing the talks to break down.</p><p>“Obviously I wasn’t a free agent, but it was more I had the ability to do the contract and kind of had the choice. I don’t have to do it, but that was something I wanted to get done to stay with the team.”</p><h2><b>Staying with the Utah Jazz</b></h2><p>Markkanen signed his lucrative multi-year extension with the Jazz after August 6, making him ineligible for a trade by the league’s February 6 deadline.</p><p>Regarding the constant <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-more-details-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-emerges">speculation about the Warriors pursuing him</a>, Markkanen remarked, “I think [it means] you’ve done things right — that teams want you. … I was able to kind of zone it out and really wait for my agent for what’s real.”</p><p>Despite the Jazz undergoing a rebuilding phase, The Finnish forward seems assured about his future with the team in Salt Lake City.</p><p>“Before in my career it used to be [louder], but now it was moreso, I was able to go home to my family and hang out. I went through it once already during my restricted free agency [summer], going from Chicago to Cleveland, so this was easier for sure. Contract-wise we couldn’t do anything before August. I knew that, if something happens with [trade interest], my agent will let me know. So I was able to kind of be home with my family and work out and it was easier,” said the Jazz star forward.</p><p>Only time will tell if the Jazz made the right call, but it appears to be a strong decision for now. Regardless, this season is crucial for the Jazz, and their early performance will significantly impact how quickly they can re-enter the playoff discussion.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lauri Markkanen breaks silence on Warriors trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-gm-hints-warriors-didnt-trade-for-paul-george-lauri-markkanen');   ga('set', 'title', 'GM hints at why the Warriors didn’t trade for Paul George, Lauri Markkanen');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GM-hints-at-why-Dubs-didnt-possible-trade-for-Paul-George-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"></figure><h1>GM hints at why the Warriors didn’t trade for Paul George, Lauri Markkanen</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T17:17:49-07:00">September 26th, 5:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T17:17:49-07:00">September 26th, 5:17pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As training camp approaches, the Golden State Warriors are nearing a critical point in their quest to bounce back to playoff contention after last season’s struggles and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-klay-thompson-warriors-disconnect-that-led-to-breakup-revealed">Klay Thompson’s departure</a>. GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. faced the harsh reality of NBA trades this offseason, as the team failed to secure stars like Paul George and Lauri Markkanen despite the swirling rumors.</p><p>Paul George initially emerged as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-paul-george-breaks-silence-near-trade-golden-state">top target for the Warriors</a>, but those talks quickly fizzled out when the L.A. Clippers chose to let the 9-time All-Star enter free agency rather than trade him to a Western Conference rival.</p><p>Meanwhile, Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz have agreed to a new contract through renegotiation, securing the Finnish All-Star for five more years at $238 million.</p><h2><b>Mike Dunleavy’s disciplined approach with the Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Steve-Kerr-and-Stephen-Curry-with-the-Warriors.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“There’s no point in going all in to be slightly above average,” said Mike Dunleavy while addressing the media.</p><p>Eventually, the Golden State Warriors will have to completely <a href="https://www.twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1839408376738107640">shift away from the dynasty</a> era that brought them four championships and six NBA Finals appearances between 2015 and 2022. A major step in that direction came when they decided not to re-sign Klay Thompson for the 2024-25 season.</p><p>“We’re probably as impatient as you can be as a franchise right now given our time horizon. But there’s a fine line between impatience and undisciplined,” the Warriors general manager continued.</p><p>Stephen Curry and Draymond Green remain central to the Warriors, but the supporting cast around them has undergone significant changes compared to the team’s championship years.</p><p>Dunleavy also expressed his desire to keep Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody with the Warriors long-term. On Thursday, he mentioned that the team has had “positive conversations” with their representatives regarding rookie contract extensions.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mike Dunleavy on the Warriors</p><p>“We’re probably as impatient as you can be as a franchise right now given our time horizon. But there’s a fine line between impatience and undisciplined.”</p><p>“There’s no point in going all in to be slightly above average.” <a href="https://t.co/bH4VwpoZ65">pic.twitter.com/bH4VwpoZ65</a></p><p>— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1839408376738107640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody’s increased roles with the Warriors</b></h2><p>At just 21 and 22 years old, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are rising talents who could play crucial roles in the future of the Warriors, especially as the team looks to gradually transition away from its veteran core.</p><p>Recognizing their potential, it’s unsurprising that GM Mike Dunleavy is working to ensure both players remain key parts of the franchise well beyond the coming season.</p><p>Kuminga is set to be a key contributor this season following his impressive performance last year. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, boasting a shooting percentage of 52.9 from the field.</p><p>Only Curry and Thompson had higher scoring averages, and it wouldn’t be unexpected if the young forward continues to elevate his game with an increased role ahead.<br>Moody may not have hit that level yet, but he delivered a career-best season last year, averaging 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He connected on 46.2 percent of his shots from the field and 36 percent from three-point range.</p><p>Many are confident that this is the year Moses Moody will emerge as the player he is capable of becoming. Several factors support this belief: the Warriors recorded a better net rating with Moody on the court last season, he thrived in games where he logged over 20 minutes. With Klay Thompson’s departure has been an increased need for a three-and-D wing.</p><p>The Warriors also acquired role players like Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton. However, these additions fall short of providing the support that Curry and the team need if they aim to contend this season.</p><p>Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors are in a challenging position. Questions loom about whether Curry alone can lead the team and if the Warriors will execute a game-changing trade during the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

GM hints at why the Warriors didn’t trade for Paul George, Lauri Markkanen

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-what-golden-state-told-brandin-podziemski-amid-paul-george-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'What Warriors told Brandin Podziemski amid Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/What-Golden-State-told-Brandin-Podziemski-amid-Paul-George-Lauri-Mar1kkanen-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>What Warriors told Brandin Podziemski amid Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-28T08:58:03-07:00">August 28th, 8:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-28T08:58:03-07:00">August 28th, 8:58am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before the 2024 offseason went into its doldrums, the Golden State Warriors were one of the most active teams on the trade market as they looked to bolster the team and maximize the remaining elite years of Stephen Curry’s career. However, in the end, the Warriors did not budge, deep as they were in trade talks for All-Star forwards Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, instead, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-brandon-podziemski-reveals-why-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors-are-actually-fun">choosing to keep youngsters Brandin Podziemski</a> and Jonathan Kuminga.</p><p>The Warriors, in particular, are very fond of Podziemski, the 19th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. The Utah Jazz were reportedly asking for Podziemski in any prospective deal for Markkanen, but the Dubs’ love for the 21-year-old guard out of Santa Clara outweighed whatever benefits they thought the addition of Markkanen would have had. They made it clear to Podziemski that he was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5705669/2024/08/28/brandin-podziemski-warriors-lauri-markkanen/" rel="noopener">beloved by the higher-ups</a> in the franchise and that he was not going anywhere.</p><p>“A lot of these other teams are calling about you. They want you, but you’re not going anywhere. You’re ours,” Podziemski recalled Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy telling him, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.</p><p>This sentiment was echoed by perhaps the most important decision-maker in the Warriors franchise, owner Joe Lacob. According to Brandin Podziemski, even Lacob approached him and told him how important he was to the team.</p><p>“He [Joe Lacob] told me, ‘You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re a priority here.’ I appreciate that, being a rookie and going into my second year, hearing that from such a prestigious organization. It feels good. I’m wanted somewhere. So, I appreciate them. They could keep me in the dark until a trade is done. But Mike and Joe were transparent from the draft to the Paul George situation to the Markkanen situation,” Podziemski added.</p><p>Brandin Podziemski tailed off a bit to end his rookie campaign, but he still received an All-Rookie First Team selection. The Warriors guard averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in his debut season, flashing his smart, all-around game in the process. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-brandin-podziemski-gets-100-real-dubs-role-after-klay-thompsons-exit">The next step</a> for the 21-year-old guard is to be a much snappier decision-maker, as well as to be a more aggressive scorer.</p><h2><b>Will the Warriors’ choice to keep Brandin Podziemski over immediate All-Star help work out in the long run?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/08-01-24-podziemski-image.jpeg"></figure><p>Being involved in trade talks is never easy for an NBA player, let alone someone as young as Brandin Podziemski. Podziemski definitely received a crash course in what it means to be involved in this professional basketball business. In fact, he feels as though he’s being blamed for the Warriors’ inability to bring in All-Star help alongside Stephen Curry.</p><p>“Now that the trade didn’t go through, people on social media look at it like it’s my fault. I don’t have anything to do with it. But it’s cool,” Podziemski said. “From a fan perspective, from a media perspective, there is this looking at the front office kind of crazy. Like, ‘You didn’t make any trades? You want to keep Brandin? Why him?’ There are questions that obviously the public and the media has. I see my fair share of it.”</p><p>The best revenge Brandin Podziemski can have is to continue to improve and be the best version of himself. And given how promising he looked in his rookie season, perhaps he could be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-brandin-podziemski-prepared-to-help-steph-curry-dubs-reach-nba-finals-again">All-Star the Warriors sorely need</a> to give Curry one last legitimate shot at a championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What Warriors told Brandin Podziemski amid Paul George, Lauri Markkanen trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-how-lauri-markkanen-enjoying-utah-after-238-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is ‘enjoying Utah’ after $238 million contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jazz-news-How-Lauri-Markkanen-is-enjoying-Utah-after-238-million-contract-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>How Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is ‘enjoying Utah’ after $238 million contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-25T14:29:50-07:00">August 25th, 2:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-25T14:29:50-07:00">August 25th, 2:29pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Recently, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Marakkenen put the rampant trade rumors surrounding himself to bed by signing a new lucrative contract extension with the franchise that will keep him there for the long term future. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-utah-adds-recent-celtics-shooter-lauri-markkanen-contract">Markkanen’s career has</a> blossomed since being traded <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-pursued-walker-kessler-trade-jazz">to the Jazz</a> from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022, and other teams like the Golden State Warriors who were hoping to acquire his services ran out of luck when the extension was announced.</p><p>Utah is of course known for its beautiful scenery and great (summertime) weather, and recently, Markkanen showed the appreciation he has for those things by posting a <a href="https://x.com/MarkkanenLauri/status/1827761323566112879" rel="noopener">picture of himself</a> on X, formerly Twitter, holding a fish he had just caught in a river.</p><p>https://x.com/MarkkanenLauri/status/1827761323566112879</p><p>Markkanen donned a Utah shirt as well, further cementing his loyalty to the franchise where he has turned himself into one of the elite wings in the NBA.</p><p>At this time a year ago, Markkanen was overseas partaking in his mandatory military service for his native country of Finland, but it seems that now with that obligation out of the way, the big man is taking things a bit more easygoing after signing the contract extension.</p><h2><b>What does the future hold for the Jazz?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Markkanen-reacts.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>At the current juncture, there’s not necessarily a clear path forward into contention for the Jazz, as the team still figures to be firmly below the playoff line in the juggernaut that is the Western Conference.</p><p>Still, the team boasts a treasure trove of draft picks for the near future and has one of the league’s best executives in Danny Ainge partially at the controls.</p><p>For his part, Lauri Markkanen boasts a unique combination of size, athleticism, and shooting touch that make him a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses on a nightly basis. While he may not be the most versatile defender or quickest player from the small forward position, Markkanen uses his size and strength to still be a contributor on that end of the floor as well.</p><p>The Jazz still have a talented array of scorers around their talented small forward, including Colin Sexton running the point guard position and Jordan Clarkson, who remains one of the most electric microwave scorers in the league.</p><p>In any case, the Jazz are slated to get things underway on October 23 at home vs the Memphis Grizzlies in what will be the first game of the NBA season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is ‘enjoying Utah’ after $238 million contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-dubs-fans-wont-wait-long-see-lauri-markkanen-after-failed-trade-efforts');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors fans won’t wait long to see Lauri Markkanen after failed trade efforts');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Stephen-Curry-reason-Warriors-must-include-Brandin-Podziemski-in-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-talks.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors fans won’t wait long to see Lauri Markkanen after failed trade efforts</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-15T13:10:50-07:00">August 15th, 1:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-15T13:10:50-07:00">August 15th, 1:10pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Thursday afternoon, the NBA schedule was released, and Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors found out that they will be opening up the season with a two-game road trip. The second of that slate is on the road vs the Utah Jazz, a team that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-warriors-beat-celtics-for-national-tv-games-in-2024-25-nba-season">the Warriors had</a> advanced trade talks with this season surrounding forward Lauri Markkanen in the hopes <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-stephen-curry-not-panicking-after-warriors-failed-star-trade-efforts">of giving Curry</a> an all-star level teammate.</p><p>Instead, the talks fell through, Markkanen signed an extension, and the Warriors will be faced with the question of “What if?” <a href="https://x.com/DaltonJ_Johnson/status/1824162252355932208" rel="noopener">just 48 hours</a> into their campaign.</p><p>The first game of the season, meanwhile, is on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, who figure to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this year.</p><p>All told, it’s certainly within reason that Golden State could be two games over .500 before they take the floor for their first home game of the year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.3	6.6	2.0	0.2	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.3	6.6	2.0	0.2	0.7

Lauri Markkanen news

Lauri
Markkanen news