Warriors insider encourages Lauri Markkanen to trade
The Golden State Warriors suffered a major blow this week when that star wing was revealed Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The injury comes amid the Warriors finding a bit of a groove recently, going 6-1 in their most recent home game. As the NBA trade deadline approaches, longtime Warriors insider Tim Kawakami suggested that the team turn around a familiar face in Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen.
The Warriors were reportedly close to trading for Lauri Markkanen during the 2024 offseason along with their pursuit of Paul George. They reportedly weren’t interested in including all of their valuable trade assets at the time in a deal with the Jazz. Instead, they kept those assets, and that helped land Butler at last season’s trade deadline.
Now it may be The Warriors could try to trade for Markkanen again after Jimmy Butler’s injury. Since their first search, Markkanen has signed a four-year contract extension with the Jazz worth around $196 million.
Markkanen has reportedly been a popular trade target for multiple teams around the league. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, he has become an All-Star talent.
He has appeared in a total of 33 games so far this season, averaging just over 19 minutes per game. He is averaging career highs of 27.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals on 48.3 percent shooting from the field, 36.5 percent from the 3-point line and 88.4 percent from the free throw line.
Kawakami suggested the Warriors could pursue smaller trades such as DeMar DeRozan and Trey Murphy, but that Markkanen should be the top target. The Warriors have three first-round picks available to use as trade assets, and still need to resolve the Jonathan Cummings situation as the NBA trade deadline approaches.
2026-01-20 20:15:00
