Surprising Team The Odds-On Favorite To Land Laurie Markkanen in Trade

The Utah Jazz might or might not be in a rush to trade top scorer Laurie Markkanen, but if they do, there are plenty of teams that will be lining up to try to secure the 7-footer who can shoot threes and score at a 23-24 ppg pace.

Surprisingly, however, according to Bovada, the odds-on favorite to land Markkanen if he is dealt is not who you might think:

The San Antonio Spurs are the favorites to land Lauri Markkanen if Utah decides to trade him, per @BovadaOfficial

San Antonio Spurs +600
Oklahoma City Thunder +850
Detroit Pistons +900
Orlando Magic +1200
Golden State Warriors +1500
Houston Rockets +1600

(Via… pic.twitter.com/7PGdWApxVl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 6, 2024

The San Antonio Spurs are the favorites for the bookies, at +600. That would be a completely unfair sight for opposing defenses, pairing up the 7-foot Markkanen with the 7'4" Rookie of the Year and quickly rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. That kind of move could make the Spurs a contender, if they are also able to add a point guard.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are next on the list, at +850. It's believed they'll be looking to make a splash this offseason by adding a dynamic frontcourt scorer, the one element they're missing to take that next step to championship contender status.

Perhaps the most surprising team to land him would be the Detroit Pistons, as far away from contention as any team in the entire NBA, but looking to get themselves to be taken seriously for the first time in many years. Adding Markkanen would be a big step in that direction. They're third in line in the betting odds, at +900.

Markkanen was an All-Star in 2022-23, and this past season averaged 23.2 points with 8.2 boards and 2.0 assists, while filling it up from deep at 40%.