NBA Trade Rumors: Lauri Markkanen to Detroit Pistons in Proposed Swap
They're off to a decent start this season, at 3-2, but will need to push hard to stay in the hunt. Their 114 points per game thus far through five games is fourth-worst in the East at this point, and adding another natural scorer who just gets buckets, like Lauri Markkanen, would go a long way towards putting the Pistons in the upper echelon of the conference.
This proposed deal comes to us from Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, and would go something like this:
Detroit Pistons receive:
- Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz receive:
- Tobias Harris
- Jaden Ivey
- Bobi Klintman
- 2030 first-round pick
- top-five protected 2032 first-round pick
In this hypothetical deal, the Pistons would add another serious threat to their offense, taking a ton of pressure off star Cade Cunningham. And as Miller notes, "Those two, along with Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, would give the Detroit Pistons a team that could win the East as early as this season."
For the Jazz, aside from the two first-rounders, 23-year-old Jaden Ivey would be a great return, and could lead the Jazz backcourt well into the future. His health, of course, is a question mark at this particular juncture, as he's out for another couple of weeks at least after knee surgery earlier this month. He also missed 50 games last season with a broken leg. The two issues are said to be unrelated.
But the Jazz aren't going anywhere as far as the standings are concerned in the near future, so they could afford to wait for Ivey to gain full health in this proposed scenario. He's averaged over 16 points per game in his three seasons, and 17.6 last year in 30 games.
Photo: © Rob Gray-Imagn Images
