The Golden State Warriors are betting favorites to land two-time Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen via trade ahead of the 2025-26 season, per online sportsbook Bovada.
The Warriors (+205) are favored over the Heat (+250), Magic (+325), Mavericks (+450) and Spurs (+650) to pull off the trade for the 7-foot sharpshooter.
Odds for Markkanen’s next destination emerged shortly after The Ringer’s Bill Simmons reported that the Jazz have made the All-Star available in trades.
“I’m on high alert with Utah,” Simmons said. “Austin [Ainge] took that job. He had a quote in a press conference… where he was just like, ‘Yeah, we’re not tanking anymore.’ It’s, like, alright! And, around the league, people seem to feel like Markkanen isn’t not available.”
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Jazz Expected to Hit Reset Button
The Jazz, who finished with a 17-65 record in 2024-25, are supposedly open to trading most of their roster, including Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton, with hopes of building around budding star guard Keyonte George.
Such a move would signal a massive shift in their future plans after they signed Markkanen, their best player since Donovan Mitchell, to a four-year, $195 million extension ahead of the 2024-25 season. Since the contract runs through the 2028-29 season, the team that acquires the Finnish star would be getting a franchise cornerstone. As such, the Jazz are expected to demand a huge haul in return.
The Jazz will select No. 5 and No. 21 (via Timberwolves) in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, giving them additional pieces to build to their young core.
Warriors Pursued Markkanen Previously
As is well documented, the Warriors made an aggressive push for Markkanen ahead of the 2024-25 season, but the talks stalled when the Jazz insisted on Brandin Podziemski. According to multiple insiders, the Warriors strictly made Podz, their prized second-year guard, in the negotiations for not only Markkanen, but also other potential All-Stars.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Podz said he was flattered that his team decided to hold onto him in favor of Lauri Markkanen, a career 18.2 points per game scorer.
“It’s cool, and it’s not,” he told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
“It’s cool to see you’re valued by another organization in the NBA for such a good player like Markkanen. But at the same time, now that the trade didn’t go through, people on social media look at it like it’s my fault. I don’t have anything to do with it. But it’s cool.”
Markkanen, too, addressed the rumors of Golden State’s interest in acquiring him.
“I think [it means] you’ve done things right — that teams want you. … I was able to kind of zone it out and really wait for my agent for what’s real,” he told Marc Stein.
“Obviously, I wasn’t a free agent, but it was more I had the ability to do the contract and kind of had the choice,” he added. “I don’t have to do it, but that was something I wanted to get done to stay with the team.”
If the Warriors resume their pursuit of Markkanen, they could potentially include Jonathan Kuminga, a restricted free agent, as part of a sign-and-trade deal.
