The Golden State Warriors reportedly rejected a trade for Lauri Markkanen ahead of the 2024-25 season, as they were hesitant to part with Brandin Podziemski and/or Jonathan Kuminga. Nearly 15 months later, it would appear that the Warriors made a blunder by not acquiring the Utah Jazz sharpshooter.
On Sunday, Markkanen dropped 47 points — his third 40-point game of the season — as the Jazz pulled off a 150-147 double OT win over the Chicago Bulls. The Finnish star ranks fourth in the league in points (30.6) and fifth in three-pointers made (3.8) — both career-highs. Only Stephen Curry and Grayson Allen (51) have drained more threes than Markkanen (49) through the first month of the season.
Meanwhile, Kuminga and Podz have lost their starting roles on the Warriors and are expected to come off the bench for the rest of the season. Head coach Steve Kerr prefers Will Richard and Moses Moody to start for shooting and defensive purposes.
Warriors Chose Podz
Markkanen, 28, could have been the perfect piece in an aging Warriors team that desperately needs a consistent second option behind Curry. While Jimmy Butler III — who was acquired last season — has helped the offense with his ability to draw fouls and score in crunch time, the Warriors still need a dynamic scorer to complement Curry.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Warriors had a deal in place for Markkanen but were too high on Podziemski during the summer of 2024. Stein noted that the Warriors were willing to part with draft assets, but not Podz.
“[The Warriors are] still unwilling to surrender Brandin Podziemski in a trade package for the 7-foot Finn,” Stein wrote in his Substack in August 2024.
“Golden State, to date, has pursued Markkanen without including Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga in trade packages laden with future draft compensation. Obviously, no team, to this point, has met Danny Ainge’s asking price.”
Draymond Was Against Warriors Trade
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Draymond Green advised the Warriors front office to avoid parting with young assets in favor of Markkanen, a proven offensive threat.
“[Draymond] Green even told [Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy] and controlling owner Joe Lacob [that summer] not to green-light a trade for Lauri Markkanen, considering the Utah Jazz were asking for all the draft picks and young players,” Slater wrote.
Draymond also openly spoke about why he was against the trade.
“I’m a big fan of [Markkanen’s] game,” Green told Slater. “But I think if you want to do something so huge, you better be certain that this is the move. You usually don’t win those things against Danny Ainge. I look at history.”
Warriors Averted ‘Trash’ Trade?
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Green felt the team dodged a bullet by not trading for Markkanen.
“That could have been trash, by the way,” Green told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk of a potential Warriors trade for Lauri Markkanen.
“Markkanen coming here, we don’t know. We have never seen it. So there was no thought of what could have been because we don’t know what that look like.”
It’s also worth noting that the Warriors could have acquired Markkanen when he was on the last year of his rookie extension deal that would have paid him $18 million in the 2024-25 season. However, the sharpshooter signed a renegotiated deal, along with an extension, with the Jazz after the Warriors trade fell through, which will net him a total of $195.8 million through the 2028-29 season, including $46.3 million this year.
In other words, the Warriors could have had Markkanen when he was affordable.
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