<!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-john-collins-becoming-prime-jazz-trade-candidate');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: John Collins becoming ‘prime’ Jazz trade candidate');   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/NBA-rumors-John-Collins-becoming-prime-Jazz-trade-candidate-1.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: John Collins becoming ‘prime’ Jazz trade candidate</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-01T19:37:12-08:00">December 1st, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-01T19:44:35-08:00">December 1st, 7:44pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazzs-biggest-disappointment-early-in-2024-25-season">Utah Jazz are not having a terrific season</a>, to say the least. But they can be one of the most talked-about teams heading into the NBA trade deadline in February, with star forward John Collins already becoming an intriguing Utah asset that many view <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-trade-talk?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=152376939&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">has a good chance of being moved</a>.</p><p>“The leaguewide presumption about the Jazz nonetheless persists that Collins — like fellow veterans Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton — is a prime candidate to be dealt between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote.</p><p>“Collins, though, learned how to cope with such chatter and uncertainty through numerous transactional cycles after landing his Atlanta deal and, to his credit, has been a source of consistency (and efficiency) for a team that is known to be prioritizing draft position above all this season as Utah plots its course to build out a sustainable core around star forward Lauri Markkanen,” added Stein.</p><p>Collins, who was traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the Jazz in 2023 in exchange for Rudy Gay and a second-round pick in 2026, is earning $26.58 million in the 2024-25 NBA season. He has a player option worth the same amount in the 2025-26 season, though, he has yet to exercise that privilege.</p><h2><b>John Collins is having a solid season amid NBA trade noise</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Nassir-Little.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Regardless of the trade noise swirling around his name, Collins is consistently providing solid performances for the Jazz, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-vs-jazz-prediction-odds-pick-12-1-2024">entered Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers</a> with just four wins through 15 games. Prior to the Lakers game, Collins is averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor.</p><p>He is still not a real threat from behind the arc, as he’s taking just 2.8 attempts from behind the arc per game, but Collins is a big asset for Utah on both ends of the floor. In Utah’s first 19 games, Collins was tied with Lauri Markkanen in terms of win shares (1.4) while ranked first on the team with a 21.2 player efficiency rating.</p><p>At 27 years old, Collins has plenty of prime seasons in front of him, but the Jazz appear to have considerable interest in trading the former Wake Forest Demon Deacons star rather than keeping him as part of the franchise’s ongoing rebuild.</p><p>Collins arrived in the NBA in 2017 when the Hawks selected him 19th overall in the first round of that year’s NBA draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: John Collins becoming ‘prime’ Jazz trade candidate

<!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-insider-douses-cold-water-lakers-jazz-trade-scenario');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Insider douses cold water on Lakers-Jazz trade scenario');   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/NBA-rumors-Insider-douses-cold-water-on-Lakers-Jazz-trade-scenario.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Insider douses cold water on Lakers-Jazz trade scenario</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-29T18:17:59-07:00">October 29th, 6:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-29T18:17:59-07:00">October 29th, 6:17pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers want to upgrade their roster, though <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-hired-head-coach-after-dan-hurley-fiasco">new coach JJ Redick</a> has seemingly maximized their existing talent to go on a 3-1 start this season. However, in recent years, the Lakers have always pulled the trigger when a trade made itself available, and rumors have persistently linked them to the Utah Jazz, particularly their defensive big man Walker Kessler. Still, no trade might happen between the two teams anytime soon, according to NBA insider/analyst Ric Bucher.</p><p>“Unless Danny Ainge has left the Jazz organization, I can assure you <a href="https://x.com/RicBucher/status/1851397653483176173" rel="noopener">he’s not doing a deal</a> with the Lakers, much less one that helps them,” Bucher posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Lakers-Jazz trade rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Lakers-after-a-play.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Bucher’s post responded to another post reporting that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-linked-walker-kessler-trade">Lakers were favorites to acquire Walker Kessler</a> from the Jazz. Perhaps this reluctance to trade with LA stems from the classic Lakers-Celtics rivalry, since GM Danny Ainge was a key part of Larry Bird’s Celtics teams in the 1980s.</p><p>However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-jazz-timberwolves-complete-trade-involving-russell-westbrook-dangelo-russell">Ainge did trade for Russell Westbrook in 2023</a>, a massive deal that sent Mike Conley to the Timberwolves, and D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers, in return for Russ and a 2027 first-round pick from Los Angeles.</p><p>Still, the kicker in that deal might be that it was a three-team deal, and Ainge never dealt with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka alone. Likewise, Ainge likes hoarding first-round picks, and the Lakers had something to offer him.</p><p>Moreover, the Purple and Gold will have to get around Ainge’s tendency to squeeze trade partners of nearly all their assets.</p><p>Bucher is also right that Walker Kessler would be a massive get for the Lakers, who remain interested in the defensive big man. His abilities would certainly make life easier for Anthony Davis, allowing him to rest on the bench for longer and then roam the perimeter to hound the ball.</p><p>“I think Walker Kessler is a name that the Lakers have been interested in that would make a lot of sense and would allow you to either start a two-big look or, probably more realistically, <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2024/10/28/24282023/lakers-trade-rumors-walker-kessler-jazz-anthony-davis" rel="noopener">bring him off the bench</a> and then play two-big shifts and then, in certain matchups, close with two bigs,” Lakers reporter Jovan Buha said, via Jacob Rude of Lakers Nation.</p><h2><b>Will it happen?</b></h2><p>But perhaps the biggest obstacle to Kessler landing in LA isn’t a decades-old rivalry, but Ainge’s steep asking price. Reports have indicated that Utah wanted two first-round picks in the offseason, which the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-wont-make-major-trade-yet">Lakers have been reticent to trade</a>, irking fans desperate for Pelinka to upgrade the roster.</p><p>As of Tuesday, the Jazz have tied with the Pistons as the only two winless teams left in the NBA, perhaps looking ahead to land the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-odds-cooper-flagg-early-favorite-to-be-top-pick-2025-draft">projected No.1 pick Cooper Flagg</a> in next year’s draft.</p><p>Still, who knows if their win-loss record pushes Danny Ainge to pull the trigger?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Insider douses cold water on Lakers-Jazz trade scenario

<!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-knicks-pursued-walker-kessler-trade-jazz');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Knicks pursued Walker Kessler trade with Jazz');   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/NBA-rumors-Knicks-pursued-Walker-Kessler-trade-with-Jazz.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Knicks pursued Walker Kessler trade with Jazz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-24T07:38:28-07:00">August 24th, 7:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-24T07:38:28-07:00">August 24th, 7:38am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After he was almost traded to the New York Knicks, Utah <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-slapped-with-harsh-walker-kessler-trade-reality">Jazz center Walker Kessler could be on the move</a> soon. He was <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10132448-a-3-team-trade-for-pelicans-to-move-brandon-ingram-nets-to-deal-cameron-johnson" rel="noopener">reportedly involved in a botched trade</a> with the Knicks that could spell the end of Kessler’s tenure with the Jazz, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.</p><p>“Per multiple sources, Utah has discussed Kessler previously in trade, including a stalled conversation with the New York Knicks,” Pincus said. “He doesn’t seem part of the team’s long-term plan.”</p><p>Walker Kessler averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game for the Jazz last season. He’s only 23 and with two years remaining on his rookie deal, would have fit the Knicks’ timeline and immediate need for a starting center.</p><p>Knicks center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-new-york-gets-brutal-mitchell-robinson-injury-update-amid-pacers-series">Mitchell Robinson had surgery</a> on his left ankle in May. After the Knicks medical staff found a stress reaction following Game 1 of New York’s best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers, it ended his season.</p><p>In a season riddled with injuries, Robinson went under the knife for the second time in less than six months. A surgery to correct a stress fracture in December forced him to miss 50 games, and there’s no telling if he’ll be ready for the start of the 2024-25 regular season.</p><p>Robinson averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 31 games last year.</p><h2><b>Knicks in the market for a Mitchell Robinson replacement</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/New-York-Knicks-center-Mitchell-Robinson.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>With the Knicks’ championship window conceivably cracked open, many wonder if New York can stay afloat with the rest of the NBA’s upper-echelon teams without a healthy starting center. Robinson, who hasn’t played 60+ games in a regular season since 2021-22, is going to have to ease into 2024-25 slowly as the Knicks are gearing up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run in 2025.</p><p>In the meantime, New York will be in the market for Robinson’s backup. The Knicks watched Isaiah Hartenstein sign a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason, a tremendous blow to New York’s frontcourt as Hartenstein, for some, was seen as an upgrade to Robinson’s production in the most. While averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, very similar numbers to Mitchell’s, Hartenstein emerged as a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.</p><p>At the beginning of the regular season, expect to see Precious Achiuwa getting plenty of minutes at center. The 24-year-old center who was dealt mid-season from the Toronto Raptors could be a viable option while Robinson is on the mend. He averaged 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 2023-24.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Knicks pursued Walker Kessler trade with Jazz

<!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-238-million-contract-extension-amid-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz, Lauri Markkanen agree to $238 million contract extension amid 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/Jazz-news-Lauri-Markkanen-agrees-to-X-million-contract-extension-amid-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz, Lauri Markkanen agree to $238 million contract extension amid trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-07T08:03:54-07:00">August 7th, 8:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-07T08:03:54-07:00">August 7th, 8:03am</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>All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz have agreed to a five-year, $238 million contract <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1821199386271273338" rel="noopener">renegotiation</a> and extension that includes $220 million in new money, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.</p><p>Markkanen, who was entering the final year of his four-year, $67.5 million contract with the Jazz, was set to make $18 million during the 2024-25 season. He will now make and additional $24 million after renegotiating the final year of his current contract, and the Finnish forward is under contract with the Jazz through the 2028-29 season after inking his 4-year, $196 million extension. There are no team or player options attached to this new extension between Markkanen and the Jazz.</p><p>Of course, this new deal for Markkanen and the Jazz comes on the heels of his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-august-6-lauri-markkanen-key-date-trade-saga">August 6 deadline date</a>, when the star forward first became eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract with the team.</p><p>Ultimately, Markkanen did not look to accept any deal from the Jazz on Aug. 6 in order to maintain his status with the team. Players are ineligible to be traded for six months after they sign an extension based on the legislation of the collective bargaining agreement. If Markkanen had agreed to a deal the moment he became eligible for an extension, then he would become eligible to be traded on February 6, which happens to be the date of the trade deadline during the 2024-25 season.</p><p>By waiting and agreeing to his new contract stipulations and extension, Markkanen has guaranteed himself at least one more season in Salt Lake City, as he is ineligible to be traded throughout the course of the upcoming year.</p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen drew serious trade interest</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-running-back-down-the-floor-after-a-bucket.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Since the start of the free agency period in July, Markkanen has been at the forefront of trade conversations around the NBA. With big names like Paul George, Klay Thompson, and DeMar DeRozan on the move as free agents, Markkanen became the top priority for teams inquiring about his availability with the Jazz.</p><p>The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and Sacramento Kings were three teams in the Western Conference that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lauri-markkanen-trade-talks-reed-sheppard-dominance-nba-summer-league">showed serious interest in Markkanen</a>, league sources told ClutchPoints. Out of all the teams to be in contact with the Jazz, it was the Warriors who were the most aggressive.</p><p>After losing Thompson in free agency and searching for ways to maximize their championship potential with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors looked to offer recent first-round pick Moses Moody in a package that was heavily centered around future draft assets. Ultimately, these trade talks never really advanced, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-unchanged-amid-jazz-demands">Jazz were adamant</a> on wanting All-Rookie performer Brandin Podziemski to be included in the trade dialogue.</p><p>Not only were the Warriors unwilling to offer Podziemski for Markkanen, but they were also not wanting to part ways with 2021 seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga. It is worth mentioning that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-failed-paul-george-pursuit-nba-free-agency">Kuminga was originally kept out of trade discussions</a> the Warriors held with the Los Angeles Clippers before their pursuit of Markkanen, sources said.</p><p>With Markkanen agreeing to restructure his deal and sign a new extension with the Jazz after his Aug. 6 deadline, he is now ineligible to be traded during the 2024-25 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz, Lauri Markkanen agree to $238 million contract extension amid 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', '/nba-rumors-jazzs-likely-lauri-markkanen-scenario-involves-cooper-flagg');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘likely’ Lauri Markkanen scenario involves Cooper Flagg');   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/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Jazzs-likely-Lauri-Markkanen-scenario-involves-Cooper-Flagg.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘likely’ Lauri Markkanen scenario involves Cooper Flagg</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-30T08:53:26-07:00">July 30th, 8:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-30T08:53:26-07:00">July 30th, 8:53am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz have found themselves in an interesting spot this offseason. On one hand, they could try to build themselves into a playoff contender around Lauri Markkanen and make a run in the Western Conference. On the other hand, though, they could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jazz-linked-to-brandon-ingram-trade-amid-lauri-markkanen-saga">trade Markkanen</a> and try to rebuild their roster to make themselves a title contender rather than just a playoff contender.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Markkanen has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-realistic-trade-destinations">involved in trade rumors</a> all offseason long, but to this point, he remains with the Jazz. As time goes on, it seems more and more unlikely that he will be dealt, and according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Utah could end up <a href="https://twitter.com/Dunzod/status/1818040737436680309" rel="noopener">re-signing</a> Markkanen before tanking in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign in an effort to land Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The likely scenario is Lauri signs on Aug 7th, the Jazz prioritize the young guys during the season, and they try to enter the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes"</p><p>— Dunzo (@Dunzod) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dunzod/status/1818040737436680309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Could the Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen, Cooper Flagg plan work?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-of-the-Jazz.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Jazz haven’t really found a suitable trade package for Markkanen, and with many teams having already made their big moves this offseason, it’s fair to wonder whether or not that deal will ever come to fruition. As a result, keeping Markkanen around for one more lousy campaign before trying to build the team back up could be Utah’s best path forward.</p><p>There’s no way to guarantee that the Jazz will land Flagg, who is expected to be the top overall prospect in the 2025 draft class, but they can boost their odds by being one of the worst teams in the league. That seems to be what Jones is implying the team will attempt to do so that they can get Markkanen a new running mate in Flagg.</p><p>The Jazz have been walking the line between contending and rebuilding ever since they moved on from Donovan Mitchell, and it seems like they could keep on trying to do that for the upcoming season. Rather than fully picking a lane, they could hold onto Markkanen, focus on developing their young core, and hopefully have some of the highest odds to land the top overall pick in the 2025 draft.</p><p>It seems like a bit of a risky strategy given that the Jazz would be selling Markkanen on a plan that they have no way of guaranteeing work, but if worst comes to worst, they could just end up trying to trade the star forward. A move may not be as likely as it seemed early on this offseason for Markkanen, and it will be interesting to see whether he ends up signing a new deal with the team at some point in the near future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘likely’ Lauri Markkanen scenario involves Cooper Flagg

<!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-jazz-linked-to-brandon-ingram-trade-amid-lauri-markkanen-saga');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz linked to Brandon Ingram trade amid Lauri Markkanen saga');   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/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Jazz-linked-to-Brandon-Ingram-trade-amid-Lauri-Markkanen-saga.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz linked to Brandon Ingram trade amid Lauri Markkanen saga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-29T09:41:57-07:00">July 29th, 9:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-30T05:57:15-07:00">July 30th, 5:57am</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>Most of the major dominoes of the 2024 NBA offseason period have already fallen. But there is still one major player who could change the landscape of the NBA contending picture — Lauri Markkanen. All offseason long, many eyes have been on the Utah Jazz in anticipation of whether or not they would be keeping Markkanen amid deafening trade rumors linking him to a few suitors, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-unchanged-amid-jazz-demands">the most prominent of which</a> is the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>Alas, there are no indications that Markkanen is angling for a trade from the Jazz. In fact, Markkanen is reportedly content with the Jazz, and he might end up signing a huge contract extension when the opportunity first presents itself (August 6). If the Jazz keep Markkanen, then they may have to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-lauri-markkanen-brandon-ingram-kyle-kuzma-trade-scenarios">pull off a win-now trade</a> or two to make things worth their while, as per Brett Siegel, NBA insider for ClutchPoints.</p><p>To that end, it <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lauri-markkanen-brandon-ingram-and-the-importance-of-aug-6/id1627101192?i=1000663433191" rel="noopener">remains very “possible”</a> that the Jazz acquire New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram amid a lukewarm trade market for the former All-Star forward, according to Christian Clark and Adam McCreary on From The Wing podcast.</p><p>The Jazz have decided to let their feet off the gas pedal in the final few months of the past two seasons. They reside in that awkward middle ground where they’re not too solid of a team to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and they’re also not too bad of a team to compete with the worst of the worst for a top-three draft pick.</p><p>While Brandon Ingram won’t be the final piece to the Jazz’s playoff-contention puzzle, acquiring the Pelicans forward should at least help them be more competitive as they look to threaten for a play-in spot in a loaded conference.</p><h2><b>Brandon Ingram, welcome to the Jazz?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Brandon-Ingram-dribbles-the-ball-against-the-Thunder.jpg"></figure><p>It has seemed inevitable all offseason long that Brandon Ingram would be switching teams. Ingram ended the 2023-24 season in the worst way possible, struggling under the immense pressure of leading the Pelicans in a difficult first-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the aftermath of another unfortunate Zion Williamson injury.</p><p>Moreover, with the Pelicans letting Jonas Valanciunas walk in free agency and trading away Larry Nance Jr. in the Dejounte Murray trade, it seemed as though dealing Ingram for a new starting center was their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-brandon-ingrams-200-million-contract-desires-complicate-pelicans-trade-efforts">next logical move</a>. Alas, with Ingram set to enter free agency after the 2024-25 season, the trade market for him has been very chilly, as not a single team has stepped up and expressed much interest in offering the Pelicans forward a huge extension.</p><p>But the Jazz have plenty of future cap space, and they actually expressed interest in pulling off blockbuster moves for the likes of Mikal Bridges and Paul George, just to name a few. They also have someone like Walker Kessler whom they can dangle to the Pelicans in a trade that makes a ton of sense for both sides. Don’t sleep on the Jazz as a sleeper Ingram destination, especially with Danny Ainge at the helm.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz linked to Brandon Ingram trade amid Lauri Markkanen saga

<!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-could-thunder-become-a-player-in-lauri-markkanen-trade-sweepstakes');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Could Thunder become a player in Lauri Markkanen trade sweepstakes?');   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/2024/07/Could-Thunder-become-a-player-in-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-sweepstakes.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Could Thunder become a player in Lauri Markkanen trade sweepstakes?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-22T22:29:52-07:00">July 22nd, 10:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-22T22:29:52-07:00">July 22nd, 10:29pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay Postrado is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lauri-markkanen-trade-talks-reed-sheppard-dominance-nba-summer-league"> Oklahoma City Thunder could just be one move</a> away from finally reaching championship contender status. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a lot of talent around him with the likes of Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. However, he also needs an experienced partner. One who has been able to give a team huge outputs when it comes to the stat sheet. This is where Lauri Markkanen enters out of the Utah Jazz system. He could be the final missing piece that could propel this young squad into an NBA Finals appearance.</p><p>There is growing belief that the Thunder could be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-trade-jonathan-kuminga-brandin-podziemski-lauri-markkanen">entering the Lauri Markkanen sweepstakes</a>, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. It is said that the Jazz are willing to trade everyone in their roster except for young guys like Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks. This is why, in the past few months, Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton have seen some teams knocking in the Jazz front office.</p><p>These two franchises seem like a match made in heaven with their demands. For the Thunder, they want a solid player who can help them in their win-now situation. Preferably, they want someone who can work alongside Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt. This is such that they have increased depth and options come the postseason. Fatigue and injury management of their big men is also important which makes the Jazz star a perfect candidate for the trade.</p><p>The Jazz, on the other hand, want to focus on building up players for their future. A big reason why they don’t want to let go of Hendricks and George is because they want to have these two as a part of their core. The Thunder could then give them what they need the most to start over, draft picks. Sam Presti has been great in collecting these over the past few years. He can surely sprinkle some of them to the delight of the Jazz front office.</p><h2><b>Big caveats regarding this Thunder-Jazz Lauri Markkannen trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Utah-Jazz-forward-Lauri-Markkanen-23-goes-to-the-basket.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting another star is a fun idea to ponder, the Jazz have not formally shown interest in moving forward with a deal like this. A lot of signs still point toward Markkanen signing a new extension with his former team and sticking around with them for the foreseeable future. This is because the Jazz believe that Markkanen still has all the skill sets to lead them into deep postseason runs. A belief that he can still pull it off alongside Clarkson, George, Hendricks, and Sexton.</p><p>The Thunder need to be the first movers when it comes to this deal. There is no certainty that they will do so. However, there is a benchmark that most fans of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s squad can look out for. If some chatter coming from personnel indicates that Markkanen could be pursued by the Thunder before he becomes extension-eligible, a deal could likely be done before the start of the season.</p><p>Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are great supporting members of this Thunder squad. However, Markkanen being added to the roster would expand their championship chances by a lot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Could Thunder become a player in Lauri Markkanen trade sweepstakes?

<!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-more-details-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-emerges');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: More details of Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer emerge');   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/2024/07/More-details-of-Warriors-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-offer-emerges.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: More details of Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer emerge</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-15T11:31:21-07:00">July 15th, 11:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-15T12:11:36-07:00">July 15th, 12:11pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a flurry of moves this NBA offseason, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is now the biggest name being thrown around in trade rumors. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-andrew-wiggins-update">Golden State Warriors have aggressively</a> pursued him, but what will it take to get the 2022-23 Most Improved Player in a Dubs uniform?</p><p>The Warriors like Markkanen, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5638084/2024/07/15/lauri-markkanen-brandon-ingram-trade-contract-latest-nba-notes/" rel="noopener">but not for the price</a> the Jazz are selling him for, via The Athletic’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“The Golden State Warriors have been the most engaged team for Markkanen in recent weeks, as league sources tell The Athletic they have discussed a proposal around Moses Moody, multiple first-round picks, multiple pick swaps and multiple second-round picks,” Charania reported. “The Jazz, however, have asked for the bulk of young talent and capital the Warriors possess, including Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, along with picks, which has been a non-starter thus far for Golden State, league sources said.”</p><p>Markkanen, who averaged 23.2 points per game on 48% shooting with 8.2 rebounds and two assists last season, would be a dangerous second option to pair with Steph Curry. At the same time, it may not be worth mortgaging the team’s future, as the above scenario would make it nearly impossible for Golden State to develop any promising talent for the next few years.</p><p>With Curry now 36, the organization has to plan for life without its superhero. However, the all-time NBA three-point field goal leader is still elite, so it could make a short-term blockbuster move for the right price. Curry most likely has two to three years left before he declines, so Golden State has to balance between selling out for another championship while also preparing for its next era.</p><p>How will this situation shake out?</p><h2><b>Markkanen also has leverage in any possible Warriors deal</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jazz-Lauri-Markkannen.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Markkanen is entering the last year of his deal, and his next one will undoubtedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-lauri-markkanen-brandon-ingram-kyle-kuzma-trade-scenarios">give him a significant raise</a>, as ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported.</p><p>“The only question that exists in Utah is whether or not their current timeline matches up with Markkanen’s own situation,” Siegel explained. “The 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player is now 27 years old and is entering the final year of his contract. Markkanen will make $18 million during the 2024-25 season. He will be eligible to receive a four-year extension worth upwards of $200 million when he becomes extension-eligible in August.”</p><p>This gives the Finnish international leverage over any team he might get traded to, as he could threaten to walk in free agency next summer if he doesn’t get a new deal now.</p><p>With Utah still amid a rebuild, it’ll be hard to convince Markkanen to stay long-term. That’s why the organization needs to be careful with asking for too much for the seven-footer in a potential deal, as he could leave for nothing in return next summer.</p><p>One solution could be to find a third team to include in the trade The Cleveland Cavaliers<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/could-an-andrew-wiggins-trade-be-warriors-final/id1153873309?i=1000661746722" rel="noopener"> could be a logical candidate</a>, via SB Nation’s Kylen Mills.</p><p>“One that I look at is the Cavs,” Mills said. “The Cavs need a defensive wing. They’re a team that already has a couple of elite scorers, he’s not going to be one taking the ball out of Donovan Mitchell’s hands or something like that. They’re a team that is in that contender range where I think they would maybe say, ‘hey, we’re willing to give up a couple future draft picks in order to bring in what we feel like is a void.'”</p><p>In this scenario, the Warriors would send Andrew Wiggins to Cleveland, while Utah would send Markkanen to the Bay Area.</p><p>The picture should be clearer by August 6, when Markkanen can demand a new contract.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: More details of Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer emerge

<!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-jazz-rejected-offer-of-2-first-round-picks-in-walker-kessler-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz rejected offer of 2 first-round picks in Walker Kessler 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/2024/07/Jazz-rejected-offer-of-2-first-round-picks-in-Walker-Kessler-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz rejected offer of 2 first-round picks in Walker Kessler trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-09T23:00:00-07:00">July 9th, 11:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-09T23:00:00-07:00">July 9th, 11:00pm</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>It’s not quite clear yet which direction the Utah Jazz will be taking as their front office looks to build the next great iteration of the team. This unpredictability makes them one of the more interesting teams to monitor in the trade market. While Lauri Markkanen continues to be the apple of many teams’ eyes, third-year center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-eyeing-jazz-trade-isaiah-hartenstein-replacement">Walker Kessler is also drawing</a> a ton of interest as a cost-controlled, shot-blocking big man.</p><p>One of the teams that have reportedly kicked the tires on a potential Kessler trade is the New York Knicks. However, in the end, it seems as though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-slapped-with-harsh-walker-kessler-trade-reality">Jazz are placing too high</a> of a price on Kessler that a deal may not be too plausible in the near future.</p><p>The Jazz have <a href="https://sny.tv/articles/jazz-walker-kessler-trade-knicks-july-2024">reportedly rejected</a> an offer of two first-round picks in a potential Walker Kessler trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY. Begley also reported that the Jazz’s price for Kessler makes it unlikely for the Knicks to swing a trade for the 22-year-old center.</p><p>“Utah had been asking for at least one first-round pick in previous discussions with teams on Walker Kessler. The Knicks had some interest in Kessler. I was told subsequently that teams had offered two first-rounders to Utah in the past couple weeks and were rebuffed,” Begley said.</p><p>It’s important to note that, first-rounders aren’t created equal. Perhaps the first-round picks that the Jazz were being offered were from contending teams, which means that those selections are likely to land in the late first-round. Or perhaps those picks are heavily protected the way the picks the Knicks own from the Pistons and Wizards are.</p><p>Walker Kessler is a quality young player, and the Jazz are certainly well within their rights to set a huge price in any potential trade. There is no urgency on their end anyway to deal Kessler away, as he still has two years left on his rookie deal at a very affordable $7.8 million.</p><h2>Assessing the Jazz’s roster, potential trade candidates</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-vs.jpg"></figure><p>Lauri Markkanen, of course, still looms as the Jazz’s best trade candidate. Markkanen should net the Jazz a ton of future first-round picks, a quality young player or two, and some workable salary filler — an ideal return for an All-Star player. Despite being in the final year of his contract, Markkanen’s scoring ability and his stature as a walking mismatch problem makes him a tantalizing potential addition for any team looking to contend for either a championship or a playoff spot in 2025.</p><p>To that end, teams such as the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Miami Heat have shown interest in potentially swinging a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-andrew-wiggins-update">blockbuster trade with the Jazz</a> for Markkanen. Trading Markkanen means that the Jazz don’t see him as the team’s long-term centerpiece and that they will continue searching for the next player — perhaps Cooper Flagg via the 2025 NBA Draft — to become the franchise cornerstone.</p><p>Aside from Markkanen, the Jazz still have John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and maybe even Collin Sexton as potential trade candidates. Collins’ $26.5 million contract makes it difficult for the Jazz to find a taker, but there will always be a need around the league for an athletic forward who can rebound and space the floor reasonably well. Clarkson is a great fit for teams in need of some spark-plug scoring off the bench. On the other hand, Sexton may have played himself into keeper conversations for the Jazz after he played well last season.</p><p>But the most likely route for the Jazz is to utilize their considerable cap space (around $37.7 million) to take on a few bad contracts from other teams in exchange for some helpful draft capital. Utah is in no shape to contend in the stacked Western Conference anyway, so there’s no use in blowing that cap space on any remaining free agent. Perhaps the Jazz could use some of that money to agree to a new contract with Markkanen.</p><p>At the end of the day, the Jazz are shaping up to have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. They <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/utah-jazz/cap/_/year/2024" rel="noopener">currently have 10 players</a> (including those on two-way deals) on the roster who are 25 years old or younger.</p><p>As for Walker Kessler, he appears to be one of those players that the Jazz are happy to keep, but at the same time, they also have no qualms about trading him away should a team give them a godfather offer. Only time will tell, however, if any team matches that price of theirs. More likely than not, that team will not be the Knicks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz rejected offer of 2 first-round picks in Walker Kessler 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-lauri-markkanen-trade-suitors-hit-with-harsh-jazz-reality');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade suitors hit with harsh Jazz reality');   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/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-trade-suitors-hit-with-harsh-Jazz-reality.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade suitors hit with harsh Jazz reality</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-07T12:48:23-07:00">July 7th, 12:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-07T12:48:23-07:00">July 7th, 12:48pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Naples, Florida</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz have many teams around the league who were looking to acquire power forward Lauri Markkanen singing the blues. That’s because general manager Justin Zanik and executive Danny Ainge have been making life difficult for those teams in trade negotiations, pushing things to the point where now there is a growing belief around the league that the Jazz have been posturing all summer, operating from a position where only an unreasonably generous offer would be able to pry away Markkanen from them.</p><p>Prior to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">shifting their focus</a> to 14-year veteran DeMar DeRozan, the Sacramento Kings appeared to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-were-close-to-lauri-markkanen-trade-jazz">hell-bent on acquiring</a> Lauri Markkanen from Utah, adding the 27-year-old forward to a young core that includes De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray. Their picks-based offer was reportedly a strong one, one that was so substantial that team sources believed it was going to be good enough to get the deal done. With hopes of getting the deal done in a reasonable amount of time, the Kings gave the Jazz a deadline. And that’s apparently when Danny Ainge stepped in, and doing his best <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clsUiB5dG4g" rel="noopener">Lee Corso impersonation</a>, said “not so fast!”</p><p>“Utah didn’t meet it,” writes Anthony Slater of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5621320/2024/07/07/demar-derozan-kings-trade-sacramento-celebration/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>. “There’s growing skepticism leaguewide that Jazz executive Danny Ainge will actually move on any Markkanen deal. So the Kings pivoted quickly to DeRozan, getting wind he’d actually have interest and then hitting the gas pedal.”</p><p>This leaves one to wonder what the Jazz will end up doing with Lauri Markkanen, and what the plan actually is for the 2024-25 season. Hanging onto Markkanen for the 2023-24 season made some sense… he was coming off of his first All-Star season and with a low-end draft class coming into the league in the summer of 2024, there wasn’t too much incentive for Utah to tank away their season. In the end, they did anyway. Utah was a respectable 27-33 at the end of February. Over the final 22 games of the season, they went 4-18. Markkanen suited up just five times in those final 22 games.</p><p>Now? As teams are already jockeying for pole position in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, removing Markkanen from this Jazz roster <i>would</i> give Utah a major leg up in the <i><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cooper-flagg-the-betting-favorite-to-be-first-pick-in-2025-draft">In a Stupor for Cooper</a> </i>sweepstakes. But surely, Danny Ainge wouldn’t just give Markkanen away for slightly better Draft Lottery odds and a handful of future picks, especially when thus far, everything Markkanen has said and done indicates he could be willing to hang around in Utah for the long haul. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5610621/2024/07/02/lauri-markkanen-jazz-trade-prospect-nba/" rel="noopener">Earlier this past week</a>, The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported, “Markkanen and his family are comfortable in Utah and amenable to Utah’s plans for a potential contract renegotiation and extension once that window opens later this summer.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-running-back-down-the-floor-after-a-bucket-1024x657.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h2>Will Lauri Markkanen stick around with the Utah Jazz for the long haul?</h2><p>The fact that Lauri Markkanen won’t be eligible for a four-year extension until August 6th has been another factor in why trade negotiations haven’t gone anywhere. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that because Markkanen could become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, it’s been difficult for the Jazz to find a trade offer worth strongly considering.</p><p>“It obviously complicates Jazz efforts to get a trade package in return for Markkanen on the level of Brooklyn’s haul for Mikal Bridges when Markkanen is not under team control for more than a season and when his salary is relatively low,” Stein wrote in his <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-on-lauri-markkanen-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=146313631&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=1ltl4f&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener"><i>The Stein Line </i>Substack</a>. “They have a much better chance to command a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blockbuster-mikal-bridges-trade-involving-nets-knicks-rockets">Bridges-style offer</a> filled with future draft picks like New York agreed to furnish the Nets if Markkanen, 27, is signed to an extension.”</p><p>The issue here is that Utah would need to wait six months before trading Markkanen once they sign him to an extension. The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline is on February 6th, which all but guarantees that Utah wouldn’t be able to trade Markkanen until next summer, which in the end, could end up working in their favor.</p><p>Let’s assume that even with Lauri Markkanen on their roster, the Jazz’s 1st round pick could still fall within the top ten and therefore not be conveyed to Oklahoma City. At that point, the Jazz could potentially package Markkanen and picks to move up in the draft… a draft that is widely expected to be among the best in recent years. Or, if the Lottery balls are kind to them, the Jazz could potentially land one of the top prospects, keep Markkanen for the long-term, and then attempt to use future draft assets to build a contending roster around their top-tier rookie and Finnish star.</p><p>The bottom line is, as usual, Danny Ainge finds himself in a very advantageous position.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade suitors hit with harsh Jazz reality

<!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-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-gets-complicated-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer gets complicated 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/2024/07/Warriors-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-offer-gets-complicated-update.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer gets complicated update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-05T15:51:54-07:00">July 5th, 3:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-05T22:37:28-07:00">July 5th, 10:37pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors suffered a blow this offseason <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-klay-thompson-10-greatest-moments-as-a-warrior">when they lost Klay Thompson</a> in free agency. They’ve tried to recoup as much as they can with a few <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-complete-buddy-hield-sign-and-trade-with-76ers">solid free agent signings</a>. But perhaps the biggest trade domino the Warriors are trying to get to fall is Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.</p><p>Markkanen may or may not be on the trade block, but it reportedly hasn’t stopped the Warriors from inquiring. But what might hinder a potential Markkanen trade between the Warriors and Jazz is the limitations of the Warriors’ <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1809319694337470610" rel="noopener">potential offer</a> as per Tony Jones of The Athletic.</p><p>Jones reports that, “Golden State has an offer on the table and it’s substantial [for Lauri Markkanen]. I think offers are heavily pick-based…What complicates it is the Warriors only have two unprotected picks, plus a protected first rounder.”</p><p>Markkanen is one of the top rising stars in the NBA and it’s fair to question whether that combination of picks is enough for the Warriors to entice the Jazz into making a trade. The recent trade between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets involving Mikal Bridges included four unprotected first round picks heading the Nets’ way. Markkanen is arguably a better player than Bridges.</p><p>The Finnish star is one of the most sought-after players this offseason on the trade market. He was an All-Star during the 2022-23 season, his first with the Jazz. This past season, Markkanen appeared in 55 games at a little over 33 minutes per game He averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists with splits of 48 percent shooting from the field, 39.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 89.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><h2><b>Warriors looking to stay comp</b>etitive for 2024-25 season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Steph-Curry-walks-back-to-the-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Warriors may have lost Klay Thompson this offseason, but they still have Stephen Curry on the team. Curry’s current extension carries him through the 2025-26 season. It’s in line with the recent extension signed by head coach Steve Kerr. The Warriors owe it to Curry to field a competitive playoff team.</p><p>Acquiring Lauri Markkanen would be a great move for the Warriors, but it’s not anywhere close to a given that they will pull off a trade. In the meantime, the Warriors have made a few key free agent signings that should help the team this upcoming season.</p><p>The Warriors agreed to deals with De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson and also pulled off a sign and trade to acquire Buddy Hield. While none of those players are Thompson, their combined impact should help offset Thompson’s production to a degree. Prior to the Warriors’ pursuit of Markkanen, they pursued a potential trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George.</p><p>Last season, the Warriors missed the playoffs after losing to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in. The season prior, they defeated the Kings in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Warriors’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer gets complicated 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', '/nba-rumors-warriors-spurs-among-teams-with-substantial-lauri-markkanen-trade-offers-on-table');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table');   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/2024/07/Jazz-Warriors-Spurs-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-04T07:57:17-07:00">July 4th, 7:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-04T08:19:13-07:00">July 4th, 8:19am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The most appealing trade candidate in the NBA is currently Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. With so many big names gone in the free agency pool, the 27-year-old sharpshooter is perhaps the best potentially available player on either the trade market or in free agency.</p><p>The Jazz are in a rebuild, adding several young players to their roster again as Markkanen continues to age into his prime years. To make sure he isn’t lost to another team for nothing next summer, Utah will either have to extend Markkanen’s contract, which expires after this season, or trade him. Given his immense value (he’s making just over $18 million next season) and age, the latter option appears to make more sense, especially with so many suitors lining up.</p><p>According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings have “substantial” offers for Markkanen. Each of those teams has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-warriors-spurs-links">linked to a pursuit</a> of the Finnish star previously, but Jones points them out as the teams making the biggest efforts.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to <a href="https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tjonesonthenba</a> the Kings the Warriors and the Spurs all have “substantial offers on the table” for Lauri Markkanen. <a href="https://twitter.com/Sactown1140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sactown1140</a></p><p>— Kevin Whitey Gleason (@whiteygleason) <a href="https://twitter.com/whiteygleason/status/1808654441551384585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jones wrote <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5610621/2024/07/02/lauri-markkanen-jazz-trade-prospect-nba/" rel="noopener">that Markkanen “is a star.</a> The NBA knows this. That’s why half the league is standing in line hoping the Jazz decide to trade him. Out of that number, several reports have teams such as the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings ramping up interest and preparing offers for the Jazz to mull. The Jazz know this as well, which is why they are hesitant to trade Markkanen, even amid a rebuild that still appears to be in its infancy.”</p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen receiving massive trade interest</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-dunks-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>After years of being merely a solid player, Markkanen has become a bona fide star in his two seasons with the Jazz, averaging 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep. As a top option, he drew way more fouls and scored more efficiently than ever before, posting true shooting percentages above 63 percent for the first time in his career.</p><p>The Jazz may be approaching decision time with Markkanen soon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to trade him. They can keep him around as a top option in case a star player elsewhere asks out and Utah can trade for him. It would also be nice to support the rookies and second-year players with a floor spacer who can carry the workload on offense. However, if another team goes over the top with a trade offer, it may be best to just add more assets for a rebuild that is still barely getting off the ground.</p><p>Markkanen would be a massive coup for the Warriors, who just lost Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks and have struggled for years to put a reliable second option behind Stephen Curry. Golden State has some interesting young players to dangle in Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moodey and Brandin Podziemski, though Kuminga might not be on the table. Trying to offload Andrew Wiggins in a trade could also be an option.</p><p>The Spurs aren’t super eager to put a great team around Victor Wembanyama just yet — they may want to stay in the lottery one more time for the chance to land another great prospect like Cooper Flagg. But once San Antonio is ready to start winning again, the front office has picks and young players to offer in exchange for the Jazz star.</p><p>The Kings adding Markkanen alongside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis would give them <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-timberwolves-kings-emerge-as-potential-lauri-markkanen-suitors">another incredible shooter</a> to utilize in their powerful offense. If they’re somehow able to keep Keegan Murray, it would give them a great core four to build around. Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter have been dangled in trades for a while and could be options here, in addition to draft capital.</p><p>Markkanen is far from the only solid player available for trade. The Brooklyn Nets are likely to trade their own sharpshooter, Cam Johnson, plus 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith as they begin rebuilding. The Washington Wizards could look to dangle Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert. The Chicago Bulls haven’t had much luck finding a suitor for Zach LaVine, but he has a star pedigree that could make him an intriguing buy-low option.</p><p>The Jazz don’t exactly need any more additional draft picks, even if it’s always beneficial to add as many as possible. They have all of their own picks going forward plus extra unprotected first-rounders and swap rights from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Even though they’re without some of their second-rounders, they have plenty of draft capital to swing more trades and add more young talent.</p><p>Whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) with Lauri Markkanen will have massive ramifications on the rest of the NBA landscape.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table

<!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-timberwolves-kings-emerge-as-potential-lauri-markkanen-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors');   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/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Timberwolves-Kings-emerge-as-potential-Lauri-Markkanen-suitors.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-01T19:53:16-07:00">July 1st, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-01T19:53:16-07:00">July 1st, 7:53pm</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 Utah Jazz haven’t yet committed to a hard and fast roster-building decision; earlier in the offseason, they were linked to blockbuster moves for two-way wings Mikal Bridges and even Paul George, the two who have since moved to the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. With the Jazz unable to acquire pieces that will help them make the jump to playoff contention in the Western Conference, everyone’s attention has now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-warriors-spurs-links">turned to Lauri Markkanen</a>, who doesn’t appear to be long for Salt Lake City.</p><p>Markkanen, being one of the best pure three-level scorers in the game as well as a hand-and-glove fit on most contending outfits, is sure to draw a ton of interest on the trade market. While he is in the final year of his contract, he’ll only be making around $18 million — making a deal that much more palatable for teams with contending aspirations. And on cue, the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings are <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-2024-the-market-impact-of-klay-thompsons-move-to-dallas-211356528.html" rel="noopener">among the teams</a> vying for Markkanen’s services, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.</p><p>In addition to the Timberwolves and Kings, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have also reportedly thrown their hat into the Lauri Markkanen trade ring. But the question is, will the Jazz finally budge?</p><p>At present, the Jazz don’t have that foundational star yet that will lead them back to greatness. Markkanen profiles as a high-level second option on a winning team due to his shortcomings on the playmaking side of the ball. With the Finnisher being <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23602/lauri-markkanen" rel="noopener">due for a huge contract</a> extension, will the Jazz decide to cash in on him as a trade asset to further stockpile on some draft capital? Or will he be a part of the next great Jazz team? Those are the questions that Utah must answer this offseason.</p><h2>A Lauri Markkanen homecoming on the Timberwolves?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-Arizona-is-interviewed-after-being-introduced-as-the-number-seven-overall-pick-to-the-Minnesota-Timberwolves.jpg"></figure><p>No, Lauri Markkanen has not played a single minute for the Timberwolves franchise for his career. But one must recall that Markkanen donned a Timberwolves cap on draft night back in 2017, with Minnesota trading away that selection, along with a few other goodies that included Zach LaVine, in exchange for Jimmy Butler.</p><p>It is certainly interesting to see the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-timberwolves-trade-targets-in-2024-nba-offseason">Timberwolves pop up</a> as a potential Markkanen suitor, especially given the financial constraints imposed upon them by the second luxury tax apron. The huge contracts of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels have already kicked in, while Rudy Gobert will be due for a huge extension soon.</p><p>Trading for Lauri Markkanen would also mean that the Timberwolves will be giving up one of their core players, and that simply may not be in the cards for a team that’s looking to run it back following an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>As enticing as the prospect of adding a player of Markkanen’s offensive skill and size, further adding to the Timberwolves’ arsenal of talented tall players, a trade with the Jazz simply may not be doable. There could be a workable trade centered around Naz Reid, but Reid is a fan favorite, and it’s not quite clear just how appealing the prospect of trading Reid away is for the Timberwolves brass.</p><h2>Will the Kings shoot for the stars in the form of a trade with the Jazz?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Malik-Monk-DeAaron-Fox-Domantas-Sabonis-and-Keegan-Murray-observe-the-action.jpg"></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-early-kings-trade-targets-2024-nba-offseason">Kings are facing the reality</a> of how difficult it is to build a sustainable contending team year-in, year-out in the NBA. Following an inspired 2022-23 season, the Kings missed the playoffs in 2024. But can Sacramento get it together and up their contending prowess with the addition of Lauri Markkanen?</p><p>The team certainly has the salary to pull off a trade with the Jazz; they should have all of their first-round picks except for next year (due to the Kevin Huerter trade), and they have a blue-chip youngster in Keegan Murray who could be a worthwhile centerpiece of a Markkanen blockbuster trade.</p><p>Lauri Markkanen would represent a huge scoring upgrade on the wing and someone who could flourish in an off-ball role alongside Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox in the Kings’ motion-based, handoff-driven offense. Markkanen has the size to punish mismatches as well, giving the Kings another scorer to run their offense around.</p><p>Murray, for as good of a 23-year old sniper as he is, hasn’t shown as much offensive versatility as Markkanen has. Markkanen is only four years older than Murray as well, so it’s not like the Kings are going to empty the farm for an aging player. This could be a worthwhile trade to pursue for a Kings team that’s looking to return to the top of the Pacific Division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors

<!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-lauri-markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-warriors-spurs-links');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade buzz grows with Warriors, Spurs links');   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/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-Warriors-Spurs-links.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade buzz grows with Warriors, Spurs links</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-01T07:26:00-07:00">July 1st, 7:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-01T07:26:00-07:00">July 1st, 7:26am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/best-lauri-markkanen-trade-destinations-if-jazz-make-him-available">continues to generate trade buzz</a> in the offseason. The floor-stretching big man can be perfect on any team mainly because of his size and ability to punish opponents from the perimeter. The Golden State Warriors are said to <a href="https://www.espn.com/espnradio/newyork/podcast/archive/_/id/3634017">have their attention</a> on Markkanen as well as the San Antonio Spurs, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN</p><p>“<a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/276446/Rivals-Expect-Jazz-To-Trade-Lauri-Markkanen-With-Warriors-Spurs-Among-Interested-Teams" rel="noopener">There’s some other teams</a> that are looking at Markkanen,” Windhorst said on Hoop Collective Podcast (h/t Real GM). “I think San Antonio is one of them.”</p><p>Markkanen is still in the fold of the Jazz, who may or may not end up signing the 27-year-old Finnish to an extension. If an extension doesn’t materialize anytime soon, the belief that Utah would send him somewhere else via a trade would very much likely grow even louder. Markkanen only has a year left on his current deal that will pocket him $18.044 million in the 2024-25 NBA season before he becomes a free agent in 2025. Until he puts ink on paper for an extension with the Jazz, he will keep on hearing his name regularly mentioned in trade speculations, especially this offseason.</p><p>“The teams negotiating with the Jazz do think there’s a good chance they’re going to move him,” Windhorst elaborated. “Sometimes, Danny Ainge will act like he’s going to do a trade then there’s no trade. Maybe that will happen again here. But the teams negotiating think so.”</p><p>The Warriors are on the verge of losing Klay Thompson and Markkanen can be someone who could compensate Golden State for such a loss. Markkanen wouldn’t be able to emotionally relieve Dubs fans over the seemingly looming Thompson departure, but his shooting, most especially, would help Golden State keep its offense potent which will continue to revolve around two-time league Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry.</p><p>In two seasons with the Jazz, Markkanen, who also got his first All-Star nod during his first season in Salt Lake City (2022-23), averaged 24.5 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the floor, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0,8 steals per game, while also making 29.5 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.</p><h2><b>A Lauri Markkanen-Victor Wembanyama Spurs tandem sounds dangerous</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/LM-in-action-for-the-Spurs.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Spurs are an intriguing potential landing spot as well for Markkanen. For one, that scenario would pair him up in the frontcourt with Victor Wembanyama, who is an incredible talent, to say the least. Markkanen can open up a lot of angles for Wembanyama to attack because of his shooting and the Spurs can also run plenty of offensive schemes focused on using the pair’s strengths and abilities as versatile big men.</p><p>It has been a while since the Spurs last made the playoffs but they should be a much more fearsome squad should they pull off a trade that lands them Lauri Markkanen.</p><p>However, the Spurs and any other team with intentions of negotiating with the Jazz for a Markkanen trade must be wary of the man on the other side of the table AKA Jazz executive Danny Ainge, who knows a thing or two about ending up on the winning side of a swap. Ainge and the Jazz will not just cough up Markkanen for a mediocre package, so a team in pursuit of the sweet-shooting former Arizona Wildcats star has to prepare a pretty compelling trade package.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lauri Markkanen trade buzz grows with Warriors, Spurs links

<!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-jazzs-dreamiest-paul-george-plot-emerges-a-catch');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘dreamiest’ Paul George plot emerges, with a catch');   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/2024/06/Jazzs-dreamiest-Paul-George-plot-emerges-with-a-catch.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘dreamiest’ Paul George plot emerges, with a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T10:49:49-07:00">June 30th, 10:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T10:49:49-07:00">June 30th, 10:49am</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 Sunday evening, NBA free agency is slated to get underway, with the hottest name on the market being Los Angeles Clippers star wing Paul George, who declined his option with the team on Saturday and is now free to take his talents elsewhere. Some of the teams that have been mentioned as candidates to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-demar-derozans-likely-free-agency-strategy-involves-paul-george">lure George </a>away <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-76ers-renewed-hope-paul-george-sweepstakes">from the Clippers</a> include the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic, but evidently, there is also a sleeper team in the Western Conference that could be interested in acquiring the multi-time all-star.</p><p>” The Utah Jazz have all the cap space, veteran salaries and exorbitant draft capital to add the type of co-stars — such as Mikal Bridges, once upon a time, whom the team attempted to land this week, sources said, before New York splurged six years of first-round draft assets for the Villanova product — to round out a roster that already features All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen,” reported Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “That appears to have been Utah’s dreamiest plot this summer, according to league figures with knowledge of the situation, trading for one or even two more bonafide pieces to then entice George to flee Los Angeles for Salt Lake City. That mirror to how George landed in Los Angeles back in 2019 — when the Clippers sent a bounty to OKC for his services, and thus signed Leonard in tow — is quite fascinating, although incredibly unlikely George makes it a reality.”</p><p>The Jazz are <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/how-paul-george-remains-the-key-to-the-free-agent-market-164152629.html" rel="noopener">not necessarily viewed</a> as a team ready to contend now, having missed out on the last two postseasons following their trade of Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 offseason, and it’s unclear what other bonafide pieces Fischer referenced that they would be looking to bring in alongside George, much in the way the Clippers brought in both George and Leonard at the same time.</p><h2><b>Where will Paul George end up?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/George-flops-vs-Dallas.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Many speculate that the most likely destination for the Clippers star at this point is the 76ers, who have a ton of cap space this offseason to splurge on someone to bring in to give some support to both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals once again this season, losing to the New York Knicks in five games in the first round of the playoffs, and George could certainly help fill a void on the roster that will be left when Tobias Harris almost assuredly leaves the team in free agency.</p><p>Another interesting name is the Magic, who technically made it deeper into the postseason this year than the 76ers did (albeit by one game) and also have a similar cap situation to where they would be able to pay Paul George what he wants. The Magic have a lot of enticing young talent and are already an elite defensive team, but are missing a perimeter shooting and scoring punch that George would provide.</p><p>In any case, even after free agency opens, it may be a while before George officially makes his decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz’s ‘dreamiest’ Paul George plot emerges, with a catch

<!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-jazzs-lauri-markkanen-plan-as-trade-vultures-circle');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen plan as trade vultures circle');   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/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Jazzs-Lauri-Markkanen-plan-as-trade-vultures-circle.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen plan as trade vultures circle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-28T15:39:25-07:00">June 28th, 3:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-28T15:39:25-07:00">June 28th, 3:39pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA Draft now in the rearview, free agency and trade season is officially here. For the Utah Jazz, that means deciding what to do with Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-rick-carlisle-boldly-calls-lauri-markkanen-the-closest-thing-he-has-seen-to-dirk-nowitzki">top rising stars</a> in the NBA but the Jazz are nowhere near being a team ready to compete. Rival teams are reportedly looking to gauge the Jazz’s trade interest in Lauri Markkanen but are focused on <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/brandon-ingram-expected-to-become-available-for-trade-as-wing-market-comes-into-focus-150152771.html" rel="noopener">coming to terms</a> on a contract extension as per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.</p><p>Fischer reports that, “At this point, the Jazz are expected to prioritize finding an extension agreement with Markkanen, sources said, and Utah officials made that clear during their approach for Bridges. That won’t stop rival teams from calling and registering their interest in Markkanen, with the hope that Utah could decide to punt like Brooklyn – if the Jazz aren’t able to secure someone close to a second star for Markkanen.”</p><p>There’s no doubt that opposing teams would have trade interest in Lauri Markkanen but it’s in the Jazz’s best interest to try and get a contract extension done. Markkanen is a talented young player who is still developing. While Markkanen was not selected to the NBA All-Star team last season, he put up an All-Star caliber year.</p><p>Markkanen appeared in 55 games at a little over 33 minutes per game. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists with splits of 48 percent shooting from the field, 39.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 89.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><h2><b>Jazz have abundance of young talent following NBA Draft<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Isaiah-Collier-on-draft-night.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h2><b> </b></h2><p>While Markkanen might be the Jazz’s centerpiece, the team has done well in back to back NBA Drafts to acquire a nice group of young talent. The Jazz had three picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, two in the first round and one in the second round.</p><p>The Jazz used their first round picks on Colorado’s Cody Williams and USC’s Isaiah Collier. They used their second round pick on Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. It was quite the haul for the Jazz. Williams was often projected to be a top-five pick while Collier was considered a lottery talent. Filipowski was also considered a first round talent.</p><p>This draft comes on the heels of last season when the Jazz garnered another strong haul. In 2023 the Jazz came away with Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh. All three figure to be featured prominently in the Jazz future plans. The team also has Walker Kessler as part of their young core.</p><p>The Jazz also have a couple of veteran players in Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton whom they could attempt to trade to bring back further draft capital or young prospects. The Jazz missed the playoffs last season for the second consecutive year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen plan as trade vultures circle

<!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-was-dukes-kyle-filipowskis-draft-plunge-due-to-his-girlfriend');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Was Duke’s Kyle Filipowski’s draft plunge due to his girlfriend?');   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/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Was-Dukes-Kyle-Filipowskis-draft-plunge-due-to-his-girlfriend.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Was Duke’s Kyle Filipowski’s draft plunge due to his girlfriend?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-27T14:48:01-07:00">June 27th, 2:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-28T07:41:13-07:00">June 28th, 7:41am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Naples, Florida</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a long <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1806182993066709003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1806182993066709003%7Ctwgr%5Eb29b915fffbc9a200eb05d003b934b34bce6fe19%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fkyle-filipowski-draft-sad-backstage-moment-first-round" rel="noopener">(and sad)</a> wait in the Green Room on Wednesday night during the first round of the NBA Draft, Duke center Kyle Filipowski finally came off the board on Thursday afternoon when the Utah Jazz selected the two-time All-ACC performer with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bronny-james-bobi-klintman-best-2024-nba-draft-prospects-remaining">32nd pick in the NBA Draft</a>.</p><p>Filipowski, who was pegged by many draft experts as a sure-fire first-round prospect, was this year’s inductee into the “Aaron Rodgers is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-draft-news-will-levis-headlines-four-players-in-green-room-not-selected-in-first-round">Sad in the Draft Green Room</a>” Hall of Fame but should have the opportunity to find early playing time in Utah.</p><p>As Kyle Filipowski continued to wait in the Green Room on Wednesday night, rumors began circulating as to why the 7-footer saw his draft stock slip in such drastic fashion.</p><p>And although nothing has yet been confirmed by Filipowski himself, the Utah Jazz, or anyone who is truly plugged in to the situation, NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony did share what he heard about the situation during an appearance on <a href="https://youtu.be/A4Xoj8JTOMU?t=4394" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post</a> on Thursday morning.</p><p>“You know the workouts weren’t great, people tell me. There were question marks about the interviews. They said he was nervous. He didn’t make shots at the pro day. You know what’s going on with his girlfriend, this is all nonsense. It’s hard to find a 7-footer like Kyle Filipowski who is this skilled. Somebody needs to draft him very early in the second round.”</p><h2><b>Kyle Filipowski’s relationship comes under scrutiny</b></h2><p>Before Givony could go much further, Zach Lowe interjected, looking to find out more about the “girlfriend” seemingly at the center of this controversy.</p><p>“Wait a second; wait a second; wait a second. I’m obviously out of the loop on what the young kids are talking about, what’s going on with his girlfriend? You need to elaborate,” Lowe responded.</p><p>“He has an older girlfriend. She’s like 25 or 26, and people are like ‘Ah, this is weird.’ It’s like give me a freaking break guys,” Givony replied, before noting that this piece of personal information was brought up “25 times” during the predraft process when doing his homework on Kyle Filipowski.</p><p>As these rumors continued to spread on Thursday afternoon, Kyle Filipowski’s brother and his mother took to social media to give their version of the story — one that clearly Jonathan Givony hadn’t been given access to.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyle Filipowski’s brother and MOM are on here revealing how his girlfriend groomed him into mormon culture and cut him off from his family</p><p>…and now he ends up with the Utah Jazz 😭 <a href="https://t.co/Q3PXlrqYJ7">pic.twitter.com/Q3PXlrqYJ7</a></p><p>— kev mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) <a href="https://twitter.com/RotoSurgeon/status/1806424983918477606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Again, it is important to note that these talks are all just rumors and allegations and nothing has been confirmed at the moment. Filipowski has yet to address the issue as well.</p><p>Until more information comes out, let’s hope the basketball world allows Kyle Filipowski to enjoy this moment where years of hard work and dedication to his craft paid off in a major way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Was Duke’s Kyle Filipowski’s draft plunge due to his girlfriend?

<!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-jazz-join-list-of-mikal-bridges-trade-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz join list of Mikal Bridges trade suitors');   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/2024/06/Jazz-join-list-of-Mikal-Bridges-trade-suitors.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz join list of Mikal Bridges trade suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-25T09:05:14-07:00">June 25th, 9:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-25T09:05:14-07:00">June 25th, 9:05am</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>Mikal Bridges continues to draw plenty of interest on the trade market even though reports have come out stating that the Brooklyn Nets see him as a foundational star. Teams continue to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-still-holding-out-hope-mikal-bridges-trade">call the Nets’ bluff</a> as they try to entice them into giving Bridges up so that they could recoup some assets following a terrible year in which they gave up the third overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets courtesy of the James Harden trade. But in a bit of a twist, the Utah Jazz could potentially emerge as a landing spot for the Nets forward.</p><p>The Jazz, as Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports pointed out, could be on the prowl for a big swing that takes the team’s rebuild to the next level. Even though the Jazz aren’t yet the closest team to playoff contention, Fischer pointed out that they contemplated a push for Damian Lillard or Jrue Holiday last year. For this offseason, Bridges has become the <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/with-new-coach-jj-redick-at-the-helm-the-lakers-draft-strategy-beginning-to-take-shape-232824674.html" rel="noopener">“player to monitor</a> among Utah’s aggressive aspirations”.</p><p>There will be a few teams, however, vying for Mikal Bridges’ services other than the Jazz. The Houston Rockets’ interest in the Nets forward has been well-documented, while the New York Knicks, thanks to the Villanova connection with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, could also make a play for the 27-year old wing.</p><p>Bridges still has <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/26976/mikal-bridges" rel="noopener">two years left</a> on his deal, and the Nets hold him in very high regard, as evidenced by the reported trade package that they refused from the Rockets, so pulling off a trade for him will not be easy whatsoever. Nonetheless, the Jazz should have the assets to swing a blockbuster trade of such magnitude. But will it be worth it for them, especially when they’re not a piece of Bridges’ caliber away from contending?</p><h2>Assessing the Jazz’s options</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Jazz-forward-Lauri-Markkanen-23-reacts-to-a-play.jpg"></figure><p>The Jazz are entering the third year of their rebuild after they traded away the foundational pieces of the previous contending iterations of the team. The 2023-24 season was a bit of a step back for Utah, as they finished with a 31-51 record — six games worse than the prior campaign.</p><p>There is reason to be excited if one is a fan of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jazz-active-trade-talks-2024-draft">Jazz franchise</a>. Lauri Markkanen continues to be one of the best and most efficient scorers in the league, Collin Sexton appears to be all the way back from the torn meniscus he suffered in 2021, while Keyonte George appears to be a long-term keeper for the team. Brice Sensabaugh and Taylor Hendricks, two of their picks from the 2023 NBA Draft, flashed their solid potential as well.</p><p>But there remains a lack of a foundational star for the Jazz; Markkanen, for as good as he is, is at his best when doing his damage off the ball and off screens. He is not much of a playmaker and a creator off the bounce, projecting to be an elite-level complementary player instead. But will this be the offseason when this changes for the Jazz?</p><p>Whatever the case may be, the Jazz should have the assets to swing a trade; in addition to having the 10th, 29th, and 32nd picks of this year’s draft, they still have the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/player-jazz-must-trade-2024-nba-offseason">tradeable contracts</a> of John Collins and Jordan Clarkson to use in any prospective trade. Walker Kessler, who appears to have fallen out of favor in his sophomore season (he started in fewer games and put up worse per-36 numbers than his rookie campaign), could be a trade candidate as well in a more aggressive win-now deal.</p><h2><b>Mikal Bridges: an elite support player, a so-so top guy</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mikal-Bridges-against-thunder.jpeg"></figure><p>Mikal Bridges turned heads around the league when he put up 26 points per game on 47/38/89 shooting splits after the Nets acquired him as one of the centerpieces in the Kevin Durant trade. Bridges looked like he had arrived as a solid, high-floor number one guy and an overqualified number two on a contending team. Alas, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-mikal-bridges-drops-eye-opening-admission-on-what-hurt-him-in-2023-24-season">Bridges was not able</a> to sustain this pace for an entire season, with his numbers falling off during the 2023-24 campaign.</p><p>With the increased defensive attention surrounding him, Bridges put up his worst true shooting since his rookie campaign. From averaging 26 points, he averaged 19.6 — numbers that are more in line with the Phoenix Suns version of himself but without the impressive efficiency.</p><p>It has become very apparent that Mikal Bridges is not meant to be a number-one option, even on a bad team like the Nets were during the 2023-24 season. Any team that will be acquiring him via trade should adjust their expectations accordingly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz join list of Mikal Bridges trade suitors

<!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-jazz-pistons-tobias-harris-free-agency-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Jazz, Pistons set to be ‘strongest’ Tobias Harris free agency suitors');   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/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Jazz-Pistons-set-to-be-strongest-Tobias-Harris-free-agency-suitors.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Jazz, Pistons set to be ‘strongest’ Tobias Harris free agency suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T22:53:18-07:00">June 24th, 10:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T22:53:18-07:00">June 24th, 10:53pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA free agency will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 30. Teams can negotiate with free agents but cannot start signing until 12:01 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 6. Already, rumors are emerging regarding certain teams and players and, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium, The Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons are set to be the strongest suitors for Tobias Harris.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I’m told the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons are expected to be the strongest suitors for (Tobias) Harris going into free agency.”<a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a> has an update on a possible Tobias Harris destination <a href="https://t.co/AyefdF93BY">pic.twitter.com/AyefdF93BY</a></p><p>— Stadium (@Stadium) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium/status/1805396740385755340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Says Charania, “I’m told the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons are expected to be the strongest suitors for (Tobias) Harris going into free agency.”</p><p>Harris just finished a disappointing season with the Philadelphia 76ers, where, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tobias-harris-enters-undervalued-free-agency-rocky-76ers-stint">despite solid numbers</a>, he was oftentimes the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-gilbert-arenas-goes-scorched-earth-tobias-harris-after-playoff-exit">scapegoat whenever things went wrong</a>.</p><p>After becoming a focal point at the power forward position for the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers due to his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor, especially as a three-point shooter, Harris found himself involved in a <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/reports-tobias-harris-trade-sixers-clippers" rel="noopener">major trade deadline deal</a> during the 2018-19 season that involved the Sixers. He then decided to sign a five-year, $180 million near-max contract in 2019 after going from the Clippers to the 76ers.</p><p>The Pistons and Jazz have the most to spend, at approximately $64.4 million and $38.4 million, respectively. This would be more than enough for either team to pursue Harris as an unrestricted free agent.</p><h2><b>Jazz and Pistons looking for NBA Draft talent in addition to Tobias Harris</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-Lottery.jpg"><figcaption>© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Jazz <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-4-0-hawks-donovan-clingan-zaccharie-risacher">will have options</a> with the 10th pick. With Keyonte George as the future of their backcourt, plus Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton still on the roster, Utah may not have interest in creating a logjam with their guards. Ja’Kobe Walter is another player with a very wide range of teams showing interest in him. The best part about his fit with the Jazz is he’s more of an off-the-ball guard who has the mold of a modern day 3-and-D player.</p><p>There is a huge range of players the Jazz can consider at 10th overall, especially in terms of wing talent. Nikola Topic still being available makes for an interesting conversation, plus Ron Holland’s slip down NBA draft boardsdraws more questions about whether he could be the guy Utah needs. Whatever the case may be, the Jazz have not hidden their intentions to target a star this offseason. If the right All-Star becomes available between now and the draft, the Jazz will be open to dealing this selection.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Pistons are being viewed very much as a wild card due to their unpredictability. With Cade Cunningham, whom the organization views as an All-Star-quality talent, and Jaden Ivey in their backcourt, it wouldn’t be smart for the Pistons to waste the fifth pick on another guard. The idea of pursuing frontcourt help wouldn’t make a ton of sense either unless Detroit was to move on from Jalen Duren or Isaiah Stewart this summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Jazz, Pistons set to be ‘strongest’ Tobias Harris free agency suitors

<!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-collin-sexton-named-as-possible-lakers-trade-target');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Collin Sexton named as possible Lakers trade target');   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/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Collin-Sexton-named-as-possible-Lakers-trade-target.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Collin Sexton named as possible Lakers trade target</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T09:50:44-07:00">June 24th, 9:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T09:52:05-07:00">June 24th, 9:52am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers are not new to getting linked to names in free agency. Take for example the names recently mentioned by Jonathan Givony, who floated up the names of Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Utah Jazz court general Collin Sexton as potential trade additions to Los Angeles, which is <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40403204/2024-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-58-picks" rel="noopener">looking to fortify the supporting cast</a> of LeBron James and Anthony Davis heading into the franchise’s first season under new head coach JJ Redick.</p><p><i>“The Lakers likely will explore the trade market to see what type of veterans they can add to give LeBron James, Anthony Davis and new coach J.J. Redick the best chance of competing this season, with NBA names such as Dejounte Murray and Collin Sexton being batted around by rival teams as possible targets.”</i></p><p>Like Murray, Sexton is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-dejounte-murray-lakers-trade-buzz-linked-to-jj-redick-hire">no stranger either to rumors</a> linking him to the Purple &amp; Gold franchise. The two were among the many names rumored to be potential trade targets by the Lakers ahead of last February’s deadline. Sexton sounds like an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jazz-could-trade-jordan-clarkson-collin-sexton">interesting option</a> for the Lakers. He has two more years on his current contract that he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2022 before the Cavs traded him to the Jazz. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star is set to cash in $18.35 million in the coming 2024-25 NBA season and $19.17 million more in the 2025-26 campaign before hitting the free agent market.</p><h2><b>Can Collin Sexton help the Lakers?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Collin-Sexton-in-action-during-a-Jazz-Warriors-game.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Sexton has been a solid contributor for the Jazz over the last two seasons. So far in his NBA career in Salt Lake City, Sexton has put up averages of 17.0 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds while connecting on 49.3 percent of his attempts from the field and 39.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He has been a better and more accurate scorer in the NBA since getting traded to the Jazz, as evidenced by his effective field goal percentage splits; Sexton had a 50.4 effective field goal percentage and just 55.0 true shooting percentage in four years in Cleveland. In Utah, Sexton has posted a 55.2 eFG% and 61.0 TS%.</p><p>As of the moment, the Lakers have Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Spencer Dinwiddie in the point guard room, with Dinwiddie as the only one in the group with an expiring contract.</p><p>Should the Lakers pursue a trade for Sexton, it could mean the end of Russell’s time in La La Land. Russell will likely pick up his 2024-25 player option worth $18.69 million. Without an extension for Russell, the Jazz could free up big legroom in their salary cap in 2025 if they acquire him in a swap with the Lakers in exchange for Sexton. Vincent is another potential trade asset the Lakers could use to trade for Sexton even though he has $22.5 million more in salary to collect over the course of the next two seasons. Utah, however, will probably want some draft capital from the Lakers in return for Young Bull.</p><p>Sexton arrived in the NBA in 2018 when the Cavs selected him eighth overall in the first round of that year’s NBA Draft. In his first year in the league, which was also the first season since LeBron James left Cleveland (again), Sexton averaged 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game and finished fifth in the voting for the Rookie of the Year award (won by Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Utah
Jazz RUMORS

UTAH

JAZZ

UtahJazz RUMORS

UTAH

JAZZ

Utah
Jazz RUMORS