The Los Angeles Lakers made the offseason addition of Deandre Ayton in hopes of strengthening their frontcourt after being demolished in the paint to end the 2024-25 season. But heading into next year, the Lakers will have to decide if they think Ayton can be a key piece on a championship-winning team.
But if they don’t have trust in their newest center, Los Angeles could make a blockbuster trade to add one of the top big men in the league. In a mock trade by Bleacher Report, the Lakers could land Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal with the Miami Heat.
“By month’s end he’ll be back in Salt Lake City with a team that went 17-65 last season and might not be any better this season. Is this what Markkanen signed up for when he inked a five-year contract extension with the Jazz worth nearly $240 million in August 2024?” Marc Stein wrote. “The 7-footer is entering his ninth NBA season and has still yet to play in a single playoff game. Count on Utah’s phones ringing often between now and February with trade interest in The Finnisher.”
Markkanen signed a five-year, $238 million deal with the Jazz last summer. The Lakers were reportedly interested in him this offseason, and though his defensive ability wouldn’t fit their rim protection issues, he would come in as a major offensive contributor.
Full Lakers, Markkanen Trade
As the Lakers look fully set to enter the Doncic era, they are already looking for another star to pair alongside him. As LeBron James is in the twilight of his career, Rob Pelinka and the franchise will hope to find a player who both fits well with Doncic and can take on a decently sized offensive burden.
In steps Markkanen, who over the past three seasons has averaged 23 points and 7.7 rebounds on 47.3% shooting on a Utah team that has yet to win more than 40 games with him on the team.
A full trade for the Lakers acquiring Markkanen would look something like this, according to Bleacher Report:
Lakers Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Jazz Receive: Terry Rozier, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, a 2026 first-round pick from L.A., a 2031 first-round pick from L.A. and a 2031 first-round pick from Miami
Heat Receive: Austin Reaves and Svi Mykhailiuk
The Lakers would lose Hachimura, Knecht, Vincent, and most importantly, Reaves. Landing Markkanen would help boost Los Angeles’ offense. However, Reaves has proved extremely valuable on that side of the ball for the Lakers over the past few years, and losing him would likely have some impact on their overall scoring.
The Jazz would have to give up Markkanen and another player with a smaller contract, but to land that haul of young players on smaller contracts makes the mock trade at least somewhat appealing for the floundering franchise.
Why A Trade Could Work
The Lakers make this deal because it puts a running mate next to Doncic. Markkanen would be someone who could better fit around the perimeter player compared to someone like James or Reaves, and could be a great pick-and-roll partner with Doncic.
“As a floor spacer flanking Luka’s pick-and-rolls with other bigs, the screener in those actions himself, a cutter or transition finisher, Markkanen would feast on defenses compromised by Luka,” Andy Bailey wrote. “And though he probably won’t be an All-Defense contender any time soon, he works hard on that end, takes up way more space than Reaves and would boost L.A.’s rebounding.”
The Jazz are in tanking mode, now looking forward to the 2026 NBA Draft in hopes of landing A.J. Dybantsa to add to their already young roster. As they look to go ahead with players like Ace Bailey, Walker Kessler, and Kyle Filipowski, Markkanen seems closer to being on his way out rather than a long-term staple of the franchise.
“The objectives here are pretty clear for Utah. This deal makes the Jazz worse in the short term. That’s good for lottery odds,” Bailey wrote. “The deal also clears the runway for more development for younger forwards like Ace Bailey (this year’s fifth pick).”
Markkanen’s contract and injury history would be the only things holding back the Lakers from making this deal. He has yet to play in more than 70 regular-season games and is one of the highest-paid players in the league, but that hasn’t stopped L.A. from making a major trade like this in the past. Plus, without James and Reaves on the payroll, it would free up much more cap space for Markkanen’s nearly $50 million per year salary.
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