The Utah Jazz are looking to avoid consecutive losses against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, January 1, but they may be without their best player.
Lauri Markkanen is listed as questionable with a left knee contusion on the official injury report. The forward had 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists in a 129-119 loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, December 30.
Markkanen is having arguably the best season of his NBA career, averaging a career-high 27.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 36.6% from beyond the arc. Defensively, he averages one steal and 0.4 blocks per game.
Is Lauri Markkanen Playing Tonight?
Markkanen has missed time this year with a right groin injury, but this knee ailment seems to be new for him. With an off day tomorrow before facing the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, January 3, the Jazz may use it as an opportunity to give him a breather.
Utah won’t take any chances with Markkanen against the Clippers if he is not feeling 100%. The Jazz will likely evaluate him in pregame warmups before making a final decision on his status. If Markkanen is out today, second-year big man Kyle Filipowski could be in line for more minutes.
Keyonte George is questionable with an illness ahead of Thursday’s game, the same status he carried into Tuesday’s game where he had 37 points. Ace Bailey and Jusuf Nurkic are out for the contest against Los Angeles due to injury and Kevin Love is out for rest purposes.
Lauri Markkanen Trade Rumors
With the Jazz (12-20) near the bottom of the Western Conference, trade rumors have swirled around Markkanen this season. Utah has indicated it wants to keep Markkanen as part of its core going forward (he signed an extension in 2024 and is under contract for three more seasons). However, with a month to go before the trade deadline, there’s certainly a scenario where the Jazz deal their franchise player.
One of Utah’s first-round picks this year is top-8 protected, meaning the team must finish in the bottom-8 in the draft lottery to keep it (otherwise, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder). The Jazz would like to keep that pick and prevent it from going to the defending NBA champions, but that possibility is diminished with Markkanen playing at an All-Star level right now.
If Utah were to deal Markkanen, it has a better chance of keeping its own first-round pick in 2026 and could pick up a couple more to acquire talented young players. The San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons have been rumored to be interested in Markkanen.
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