After sharing some reporting on Monday about the trade talks between the Warriors and Jazz concerning star forward Lauri Markkanen, Shams Charania of The Athletic appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio later in the day to provide some additional insight into where things stand between the two Western Conference clubs.
“I don’t think (the Jazz) want to move Lauri Markkanen,” Charania said (Twitter video link; hat tip to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area). “But if the Golden State Warriors put in a Brandin Podziemski and – from what I’m told – three first-round picks, three or four unprotected pick swaps, three or four second-round picks…”
Asked at that point if Jonathan Kuminga is a player the Jazz are seriously pursuing in their discussions with the Warriors, Charania’s downplayed the forward’s importance in getting a deal done, suggesting that Kuminga – who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason – isn’t as high a priority for Utah as Podziemski is.
“From everything I’ve been told, the Jazz are more focused on Brandin Podziemski and his inclusion in the deal (and) all the picks being in the deal,” Charania said. “And I think from the Warriors’ perspective, (if) it’s Podziemski, then there’s not all the picks, and if it’s all the picks, then there’s not going to be a Podziemski.
“… Both sides are kind of entrenched right now at where they’re at. (I’m not) saying nothing is going to change. Only time will tell. But I think the Jazz are very comfortable with extending Lauri Markkanen, and at that point you’ll see more suitors potentially as well in on him — not just teams that feel like, ‘OK, we’ll be able to re-sign him.”
As we’ve previously outlined, Markkanen becomes eligible on August 6 for a renegotiation and extension. If the Jazz extend him on that day, he would become trade-eligible on February 6 – the day of the 2025 trade deadline – whereas if he were to sign an extension on August 7 or later, he would be ineligible to be dealt until the 2025 offseason.
Here’s more from around the West:
- Tim Kawakami of The Athletic takes a look at where things stand for the Warriors after an eventful few weeks, noting that – with Klay Thompson and Chris Paul gone – Podziemski could have a chance to become the starting shooting guard and Stephen Curry‘s primary backup at point guard. As Kawakami observes, given the significant role the 21-year-old may play in Golden State going forward, it’s no surprise the team would prefer to keep him out of an offer for Markkanen.
- Despite dealing with a sore right ankle, second-year Nuggets forward Julian Strawther has been a Summer League standout, averaging 28.5 PPG with a .409 3PT% in two games in Las Vegas. Strawther averaged just 10.9 MPG across 50 appearances as a rookie, but teammate Peyton Watson is optimistic that the 2023 first-rounder will play a larger role in 2024/25. “He obviously has a gift shooting the rock,” Watson told Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “He’s a big-time shooter. That’s gonna be big for us this coming year. I’m super excited for him. He already showed flashes of what he can do this season, and he’s had some big games for us already. So I expect him to have plenty more, and I can’t wait to play a lot more with him.”
- The Nuggets confirmed in a brief announcement on Monday that rookie forward DaRon Holmes has undergone a surgical repair of his right Achilles tendon. The team didn’t provide a specific recovery timeline for Holmes, but the expectation is that he’ll miss the entire 2024/25 season after tearing his Achilles in his Summer League debut.
- The Clippers will return to Seattle for a third consecutive preseason, having announced on Monday in a press release that they’ll host the Trail Blazers on October 11 at Climate Pledge Arena.
So basically teams are afraid to trade for Markkanen.
Teams are not willing to give up 5 draft picks for him.
Yeah, especially with GSW having like 900 guards including the best one, its so odd they would turn away the shot at being a superteam over keeping…Brandin Podziemski, a middling, 6’5″-but-plays-shorter, guard who is mostly a PG and a terrible SG. Tim K wants GSW to lose for some reason. No shot does GSW make the playoffs with Podz getting the most minutes on the team. Makes zero sense. Commit to losing? Gross. We are the Warriors with a healthy Steph, we should be jettisoning any draft picks who play PG.
We won a title with a horrible 2-way guy in Chris Chiozza as Steph’s PG backup in 2022, that “spot” isn’t important, Steph Curry is important. VERY odd how many GSW fans who act like Podz has all-star potential when he really just is a stat collector and not a great volume shooter – he’s a “decent regular” but not on a title winning team. We lost last year because of Podz getting too much time due to other people getting injured/suspended. He IS perfectly trade-able and I’m guessing GSW is just dancing with Utah right now but eventually will pull the trigger, perhaps bringing in a 3rd team to send Utah more picks.
Terrible take but I give you points for being unique at least
So, equal to all your takes? Cool. You just mad the king SHAMS is repeating my takes on here.
Oh please lauri doesn’t make them a super team. Why do you always claim the warriors are 1 player away from a super team? He is not even a franchise player just a good player as a second option.
@arc89 bad take. Just plain wrong. Lauri is on the cusp of superstardom and everyone knows it. 1 year of that plus what we have when we are already deeper than last year means a title or at least Finals appearance is coming next year.
Why do you think Steph Curry plus good players is going to mean we won’t be #1 in this conference? We are wrecking everyone with Lauri, why cant you see that? Review more video, ask more Jazz fans opinions of him…
Davey J wins this one, Sankara and arc89. All these media feeds make absolutely no sense and I don’t know why any of us waste our time reading them anymore. I’m guessing what they’re trying to do is spur other GMs into thinking “wait a sec…..Dubs aren’t even willing to part with a talented but HIGHLY unproven youngin in Podziemski?? Maybe we actually DO have a realistic chance of acquiring Markkanen-hits-his-mark..AGAIN! We could offer up a better package than Podz and draft picks!” I think there was little to no chance of the Dubs acquiring PG13. And they were pefectly fine with it. They probably weren’t that interested in the first place. “Kuminga is off limits” is just a strategy to try boost his trade value. The current Dubs roster, as constructed: 6th seed, at best, in the West; Dubs with “The Splendid Finnisher” (just made that up) in tow: as high as #1 and a conference finals appearance – AT MINIMUM (assuming all the core pieces are relatively healthy and active). I’ve thumb-twirled it before and I’ll thumb-twirl it again: you always go for the SURE THING if you have a realistic shot at it. There is an IMMENSE incentive for the Dubs to acquire Markkanen. Can you IMAGINE if Dunleavy were to pull this off, what, with where the roster was a mere 12-18 months ago??! Do they hand out Executive of the Year awards PRIOR TO an NBA season beginning?? I mean….seriously, you guyzzz. I would GLADLY include Kuminga AND Podziemski in a deal for Markkanen, and then figure out the SG/backup PG later – if that’s what it takes to secure this mega deal possibility and put the Dubs back ALL OVER the map!!
Dud , all the reports about the Jazz wanting Kuminga turned out to be false (see Shams update, today). In other words, Shams’ report was wrong.
That follows on the heels of an update to the effect that the even earlier reports about the Warriors gladly offering their entire young core. In other words, those reports were also false.
Truth is that we know nothing about the discussions, what Dunleavy or the Warriors are thinking, or what Utah is thinking. The deal may be done and announced on Aug 6. Or, both sides may have walked away for good last week. We cannot know.
The sooner you accept we know absolutely nothing about the terms
Exactly – a fantasy that Steph and Draymond are five years younger. Also Lauri is a very good player but not elite
Davey J,
I’m sure this made sense to you when you wrote it.
Figured as much. Ainge doesn’t often trade guys at peak value, he trades them right before he expects them to drop off. Did it with the whole core of the ’08 title team sans Ray Allen, did it with Gobert (though he still has a lot of value for certain teams, he’s not worth his contract), did it with Isaiah Thomas. Even with Avery Bradley. Mitchell was an outlier, not the standard.
Gobert just won dpoy Mitchell also hasnt dropped off, you could just say your logic doesnt apply to them
Except that Gobert struggled terribly the prior season and didn’t mesh with the Wolves properly, so no. He’s an elite rim protector, for sure, but he has to have a fit with the team to actually work out, especially with his contract.
Even with this season, his overall value was the third worst full season of his career. He’s been worse in Minny than any of the last four season he had with the Jazz.
Lol what? Rudy has obv been great for Minnesota. This is an L that y’all just have to accept. Minnesota wouldn’t have made the playoffs without Rudy his 1st yr there. He helped keep them afloat after KAT got hurt & was out for most of the season. That playoff exp vs the eventual champs was huge for them throughout their run this past season, esp when they had to face Denver again. I understand y’all love Danny Ainge but it’s clear to see who’s winning both of those trades so far.
Minnesota just had the 2nd best season in franchise history & have the best defense in the league ever since Rudy arrived. Utah on the other hand is currently in worse shape than probably any other franchise as far as roster construction. They have 1 all-star level guy, he’s borderline all-star level at best & their best case scenario with him is to trade him for parts. Strong Florida Marlins vibes rn in Utah, but without the random title runs.
Rudy has been an amazing *fit* for the Timberwolves, but his actual *production* has tailed off harshly. Which is exactly what I said instead of what you’re projecting onto me. He’s only had two seasons worse than this past one by VORP (one of which was his first in Minny), his scoring and rebounding are tailing off, and while he’s still elite as a rim protector, he has next to no versatility on offense OR defense. He’s a pick-and-roll finisher, lob finisher, screener, and *nothing else*, as switching onto perimeter players isn’t something he can do. He’s essentially a specialist with one elite attribute and minimal value outside of that. Has his presence unlocked KAT to an extent? Sure! But that’s down to coaching and KAT, not anything Gobert actually did aside from *exist*.
I also didn’t say Ainge trades guys and they immediately become bad, just when he *expects* that to happen. Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, and Garnett still had value for multiple seasons after Ainge dealt them, but they were past their peak.
Gobert is the same. Is he still valuable and in a great situation for him? Yes! Is he anywhere near what he was as his peak self? Not even remotely, which is *obvious* if you look into his stats and outcomes instead of just looking at the DPOY selection or team success. Gobert is a great fit addition for the Timberwolves, but he’s paid like a borderline 1st option, which he is NOT, and even at his best was not of appreciable value to a true #1.
As for what Utah *should* do, I didn’t say anything about that, just what I expected from Ainge, which has turned out to be correct thus far.
tl;dr, you didn’t actually read what I wrote.
Goebert gets in the way on defense and occasionally manages to stick his arm up at the correct time to block a shot. Useless on offense except for the occasional lob,shoots 50 percent from the charity stripe. Ainge ripped off the Timberwolves.
Lol y’all see this. This is how y’all be sounding to me fr
Hey, I don’t agree with NumbNut. That’s not even hyperbole, it’s just flat wrong.
“Ainge is god” stans are such weirdos. A smart GM would trade Lauri for young pieces and then try to re-sign him in free agency.
You calling *anyone* a weirdo or a stan for anything is hilariously backwards, Davey/8Rings/A’sfan/probably more alts.
You sound insane brother. On twitter this is called “rent free”
You’d know more about NBA twitter and its nonsense takes, lol. Most of your posts on here look like they came fresh off a GSW troll’s twitter account.
Now that Shams is agreeing with my weeks-long takes its hurting your ego, understandable. My takes are fresher and more tuned into “how can GSW win a title” – yours seems to be the opposite. Weird.
Eon, I hadn’t considered what you posted before. But now that you mention it, this bozo Davey could very well be 8 rings and Asfan. Good catch. I try not to directly respond to him but I believe I just did indirectly.
They’re one in the same, he gave me the same spiel word for word on every account right before he blocked me.
He’s definitely A’s fan. That was obvious from the jump.
Ainge doesn’t care if the player’s at his peak, about to break out or on the decline. He’ll trade anyone at any time as long he feels his team is getting the better end of the deal.
He aint worth all that lol
Lauri is worth all that if its 2-3 years of him, but its just 1 season. I dont know why Ainge isnt jumping at Lauri for Podz and 2 firsts. He might eventually…
Of course jazz wants Podz because he is one of those players that can do everything on the court. Let it play out and see about the extension. No reason for any team to give up that much if he doesn’t want to sign a extension. That is still a over pay Podz and a bunch of draft picks.
-Podz cant rebound in the paint vs bigs
-Podz cant block shots
-Podz cant play perimeter D
-Podz cant run a playoff team offense
-Podz cant be a primary scorer
-Podz cant play on court at the same time as two other smalls (Kerr’s fave shoehorn move he always tried because it worked in ’22 Finals, and we get destroyed every time)
Listen, I don’t even dislike Podz, he has an “NBA regular” ceiling, but I do dislike people overrating him and acting like he LeBron James 2.0.
Ainge is that you?
Ainge -wants- Podz though?
Stop acting like Podz is Lebron 2.0, its silly.
If I’m GSW…. call off all negotiations now. No point in having a guy playing summer ball and about to start for your team wondering if he’s a GSWarrior. Part of the game I get it. But don’t dangle your youngsters with Danny Ainge. After what he got for Mitchell and Gobert (who both failed to do anything in the playoffs) and now Markkenen who yes has potential… but I’m not giving up 5 picks to figure out who he is in the post season. I’ll take Podz all day and wait for the other team to be desperate. Any move GSW makes right now will be a desperation type move. Overpay somewhere else. Danny Ainge is not the guy to get involved with.
Podz and 2 picks for Lauri is never an overpay. GSW would have made the playoffs if he was a big a hero as you make him out to be. He got ALL of the minutes (including a whole bunch of Kuminga’s early season ones, and most of TJD’s and Moody’s ones – all superior players to Podz who helped us win more than he did) and we failed because he was on the court TOO MUCH as is. Tim K is one of the worst NBA analysts out there, Shams is the bar for reporting actual deals.
If you just give us all your assets we’ll think about it.
You said Bronny was going to be picked by the Lakers in the first round, so not sure why you’re busting on someone else for being wrong about him.
People forget that Markkanen makes GSW better. That means those FRP won’t be very good.
So getting Pod and filler picks isn’t unreasonable at all. I mean the pick swaps are also useless if the Jazz have the worst record in those years. They wouldn’t even convey.
Essentially, it means there’s no reason to trade Markkanen if a quality young player isn’t included in the return.
Markannen makes them better, but not enough to make up for the decline in Steph and Draymond.
Without an improving young core, even with Markannen, the Warriors are Utah in 2 years…only without all the draft picks.
Draymond
Lauri
Kuminga
Moody
Curry
Is a title-winning starting 5. You heard it from me. Three of those guys are about to make a giant leap to stardom and in Lauri’s case, superstardom.
Adding Lauri isn’t enough to make them jump to contender with how stacked the West is. They were a play-in last year and the difference between what they had and adding him isn’t big enough to overtake OKC, MN, Dallas or even Denver. Add Memphis with the return of Ja, New Orleans, Sacramento and Phoenix and they’re going to be fighting for a playoff spot again.
Basically the deal is that Utah doesn’t want to trade Markkanen but they’ll listen and if your offer is good enough they’ll take it. I don’t think they really wanted to trade Mitchell but Cleveland made an offer that they couldn’t refuse.
Free Kyle
Kuminga, Moody, a 1st and two 2nds
Kuminga, Podziemski, and two 2nds
Wiggins, Podziemski, and a 1st
Wiggins, Podziemski, and three 2nds
If Ainge says NO to all these, Dunleavy can rest assured he very more than likely offered the most talent-ready (and young) package options than any other GM for Markkanen.
The latest report suggests they aren’t targeting Kuminga. They also don’t want Wiggins. So none of those trades work.
Warriors will win 50 games with existing roster. Give up Podz to get Lauri, a top 30 player, add 4-5 wins, gets you to 55 wins. That gets you 4th place.
Adding Paul George, a Top 12 player, instead of Markannen, gets you 58 wins. Better, but not close to OKC, Minnesota, Celtics, and Philly.
The largest improvement over the next few years comes from the growth of the 4 younger players.
That’ll lose Curry if they don’t make enough moves. Why else would they bring in those other players and even try for Markkanen?