The Utah Jazz are getting no shortage of calls for their All-Star forward.
With most of the top trade and free agency candidates of this summer settled into their new homes, all eyes are focused on the Jazz forward with hopes of a blockbuster deal developing in the coming weeks. Several teams around the league have already been revealed to have interest in the 27-year-old, but more names have begun to enter the fold."A pile of teams have shown interest in him, including the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and Warriors, sources said.
Miami was active on the trade market last offseason during their ultimately unsuccessful Damian Lillard endeavor, and they could now have another shot at securing another star in South Beach with the right offer. However, we know how Ainge operates in these trade discussions, so it could be easier said than done for something to come to form.
When compared to other suitors, it's hard for the Heat to stack up in terms of assets. They don't have ownership of their first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, and their top young talent doesn't match up with the rest of the field. If the Jazz wanted to maximize their value on Markkanen, the Heat may not be the team to do business with.
Markkanen is coming off another strong season in Salt Lake City, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 48.0/39.9/89.9 splits. For a versatile, seven-foot forward sitting in the middle of his prime, Utah is going to need a haul in return to make it worthwhile, but it remains to be seen if an opposing team is willing to cough that up.
Expect talks to continue on Markkanen as we get closer to early August when the window finally opens for him and Utah to negotiate an extension.Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.
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