Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen Hopes To Remain In Utah

April 18th, 2025 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Lauri Markkanen was one of the top names on the trade market last summer before he decided to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Jazz. Because he waited until August 7 to finalize the agreement, Markkanen was ineligible to be dealt for the entire season, giving him a brief break from trade speculation.

Those rumors are likely are start back up, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, as Utah just turned in the league’s worst record at 17-65. But Markkanen said this week that he wants to remain with the Jazz, even if it means being part of a prolonged rebuilding process.

“I feel like what I did last summer with signing here, that kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have,” Markkanen told reporters. “I love being in Utah. We’ll see what happens in summer, there’s things that you can’t control, but I love being here and working out with the guys that we have and building this thing.”

Injuries limited Markkanen to 47 games this season, the lowest total of his NBA career, but Todd points out that the number needs to be taken in context. The Jazz were clearly trying to maximize their lottery odds to land a prime spot in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, and they were fined $100K in March for violating the league’s player participation policy.

Markkanen was still productive when he played, averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night, although his shooting numbers fell to .423/.346/.876. He hasn’t been on the court since March 17 due to a condition in his left knee, but he expects to be fully recovered in time to represent Finland in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament.

“We have a big summer with the national team, and I’m excited for that,” Markkanen said. “In previous years (playing for the national team) those are the years I’ve always felt the best, physically and mentally, to be honest. Because you’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts. So that kind of gets me excited for the summer, for being able to play for your country, and then how that’s going to lead up into the NBA season.”

It’s not guaranteed that Markkanen will stay in Utah for his entire contract, which runs through the 2028/29 season, Todd adds. He’ll turn 28 this summer, which puts him slightly off the timeline for a rebuilding franchise, and there are sure to be interested suitors now that he’s able to be traded again. General manager Justin Zanik indicated that he might listen to offers, but he doesn’t plan to shop Markkanen around the league.

“We’ll see when opportunities come up to add to the roster, but I see Lauri as a central part of what we’re doing, that’s why we signed him,” Zanik said. “We think he can be a huge piece for us as we join the competitive rings.”

Northwest Notes: Randle, Collins, Jazz, Thunder

April 14th, 2025 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle earned a bonus worth $1.4MM on Sunday when Minnesota clinched a playoff spot, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). As Marks explains, the terms of Randle’s contract called for him to earn that extra $1.4MM on top of his base salary if he appeared in 65 games and the Wolves made the playoffs.

That contract incentive had been deemed “unlikely” entering the season and hadn’t counted against Randle’s cap hit — even though the veteran forward made the playoffs last season with New York, he didn’t appear in 65 games and therefore didn’t earn the bonus in ’23/24.

However, Randle had another $1.4MM bonus for making the All-Star team which was considered likely entering this season and counted against the cap because he was an All-Star in 2024. He didn’t earn that bonus this season, so he essentially just swapped one bonus out for a second one worth the same amount, meaning it won’t affect Minnesota’s financial situation this season and won’t change his cap hit for ’25/26.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Several Jazz veterans, including Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson, were asked during their end-of-season media sessions whether they want to remain in Utah. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune passes along the responses from those players, all of whom said the right things about hoping to stick with the Jazz. Asked about exercising his 2025/26 player option, Collins expressed interest in doing so, but added, “I’m just open to anything at the end of the day. And I just want it to be the right move. If it does mean staying here, being in Utah, I’m cool with that. I just want it, like I said, to be right, and something I can cherish going forward and look back on in my career and be happy.”
The Jazz‘s 17-65 record this season was the worst mark the team has posted in its 51-year history. But, given that Utah finished the season atop the draft lottery order and is assured of a top-five pick in this year’s draft, was 2024/25 actually a success? Larsen weighs that question for The Salt Lake Tribune, evaluating whether or not the team tanked effectively, adequately developed its young players, and maintained fan interest.
On the other end of the Western Conference standings, the 68-win Thunder set a new NBA record by finishing the season with a point differential of +12.9 points per game, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The previous record was set by the 1971/72 Lakers, who outscored opponents by 12.3 points per contest.

Jazz Share Injury Updates On Williams, Collins, Markkanen

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz issued a series of health updates on Wednesday, ruling out one player for the rest of the 2024/25 season and two others for at least the next week.

According to a press release from the team, rookie forward Cody Williams tested positive for mononucleosis on April 1 and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The plan is to reevaluate Williams three weeks before he begins his offseason conditioning work, the Jazz say.

Williams, 20, was the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, but has struggled to make an impact at the NBA level in his first professional season. In 50 games (21 starts), he averaged just 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night, with a dismal shooting line of .323/.259/.725.

Meanwhile, big man John Collins, who has been on the shelf since March 12, was reevaluated for his left ankle sprain after getting through his initial stages of rehab. He’ll start ramping up his on-court basketball progression and will be reevaluated in another week, per the Jazz.

Another injured forward, Lauri Markkanen, returned to Salt Lake City on Monday to undergo an MRI on his left knee. According to the club, that MRI revealed patellofemoral chondrosis with associated subchondral edema, but no other structural damage. Markkanen, out since March 17, will complete an off-court rehab program and will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days.

While Utah hasn’t formally ruled out Collins or Markkanen for the rest of 2024/25, it would be a surprise if either player returns to the court during the final days of the season. The 16-60 Jazz are in full-on tanking mode at this point — they’ve lost 16 of their last 17 games and are prioritizing securing the top spot in this year’s draft lottery order.

Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Oscar Tshiebwe are among the youngsters who figure to play increased roles for the Jazz down the stretch with Williams, Collins, and Markkanen unavailable.

Jazz Notes: Tshiebwe, Collier, Kessler, Markkanen

March 21st, 2025 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Oscar Tshiebwe has continued to put up incredible rebounding numbers at the G League level this season, averaging an eye-popping 18.6 boards per game – including 8.3 offensive – in 23 regular season appearances (31.8 MPG). On Wednesday, the Jazz two-way player brought those talents to the NBA just hours after after playing for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League.

Tshiebwe piled up 37 points and 26 rebounds for the Stars against the Mexico City Capitanes in the morning, then contributed four points and 10 rebounds for Utah in the evening, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. In total, it was a 41-point, 36-rebound day for the big man, who played nearly 60 minutes overall. Did he feel like it was too much basketball in a single day?

“No. The season will finish soon and I will sleep for two weeks. I’m good,” Tshiebwe told Larsen on Wednesday night. “This is a great chance, it is a blessing to be here. It doesn’t matter if they asked me to play five games in 24 hours.

“… We always think we stay young and that we’re going to do this the rest of our life. But we don’t know, it might end tonight, it might end tomorrow. I feel like today is all I have, and today I have to give everything I have. Every time I go to bed, if I feel like I didn’t give everything, I am so mad. I go back in the gym at night. And then maybe I go on the treadmill and run, and make sure I empty out my tank.

“Tonight, I will sleep. I played 56 minutes and had 36 rebounds. That’s still not enough. That’s my attitude. Today is the only thing you have, and you will never get to do it again. That’s what I do.”

Tshiebwe will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason when his two-way deal expires.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Utah’s coaching staff is said to be focusing on “player development” as the season winds down. What exactly does that mean? Asked by Larsen what specifically he’s focused on with Isaiah Collier‘s development, head coach Will Hardy pointed to the way the rookie guard gathers the ball when he drives to the basket. “I think Isaiah is used to being a lot stronger than people that he plays against, and at this level, it just doesn’t work that way,” Hardy explained. “If you’re driving most of the time, there’s somebody on your side, and that person usually has, in this league, relatively long arms. So if I gather the ball and bring it to the middle of my body, he has a chance to swipe it. I think the elite players are very good at gathering on the outside of their body and protecting the ball so that the on-ball defender doesn’t isn’t able to get their hands on it.”
The Jazz and Wizards ended up activating multiple players who were initially listed as doubtful or out for Wednesday’s game. Utah, for example, originally said starting center Walker Kessler would miss the game due to “rest,” but ultimately made him available. Josh Robbins of The Athletic believes league officials spoke with both teams about their player usage ahead of a matchup that loomed large for lottery odds. The Jazz have already been fined once this month for violating the league’s player participation policy.
Utah has listed at least seven players as out for Friday’s game vs. Boston, with forward Lauri Markkanen missing a second consecutive game for personal reasons.
As we noted earlier this week, Hardy has encouraged Kessler to start letting it fly from beyond the arc — Hardy has reportedly told the big man to try to take six three-pointers per game after he attempted just six overall in his first 50 games this season. That trend continued on Wednesday as Kessler launched six threes in just 15 minutes of action. He’s 2-of-17 from the outside in his past three games.

Northwest Notes: Thybulle, Hartenstein, Holmgren, Jazz, Edwards

March 17th, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Matisse Thybulle played only six minutes in his season debut with the Trail Blazers on Sunday but he made a major impact. He blocked a three-point attempt by Orlando Robinson as time expired in the three-point victory, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian notes.

“It was fun,” Thybulle said. “My head was spinning a bit, got tired a lot faster than I was expecting, but felt like I fit in well. Felt like I was able to contribute early, which was something I was hoping to be able to do. And then, was able to recover from a mistake late in the game and save it.”

Head coach Chauncey Billups was thrilled to have the defensive stalwart back in action. Thybulle had been sidelined by knee and ankle injuries for most of the 2024/25 season.

“Obviously, you saw how he hadn’t played all year, and game’s on the line, you see, I trust him,” Billups said. “Just throw him out there.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder‘s big man pairing of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren was particularly effective in a win over Milwaukee on Sunday. Hartenstein had 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds. They also combined for six assists. “It’s improved over the course of games we’ve done it. … I think early on, when we were playing that lineup, it was against perimeter oriented teams, which can skew your impression of it,” head coach Mark Daigneault said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). “(Sunday) we used it against a team it was impactful against.”
The Jazz were fined $100K last week for holding out a healthy Lauri Markkanen, so they tried a new tanking strategy against the Raptors on Friday, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Instead of making Walker Kessler inactive, the Jazz chose to dress the rotation center but not play him. Markkanen sat the entire second half while Collin Sexton played only 20 minutes and was held out during crunch time. That trio started against a much better opponent, the Timberwolves, on Sunday and the Jazz lost by 26 points.
Anthony Edwards, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week, has improved as a facilitator and The Athletic’s Fred Katz details his development in that aspect. Edwards has especially gotten better in reading defensive coverages and exploiting its weaknesses, Katz notes.

Jazz Fined $100K By NBA

March 12th, 2025 at 4:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link) that it has fined the Jazz $100K for violating the league’s player participation policy.

According to the statement from the league, Utah did not properly make forward Lauri Markkanen available in its March 5 clash with Washington, in addition to other recent contests.

The NBA implemented its player participation policy in response to concerns about the rise of load management in recent years. As we outline in our glossary entry on the subject, the league can penalize a club for sitting out a star player in a nationally televised game, resting that player in road games, or shutting him down when he’s healthy, among other infractions.

Markkanen qualifies as a star and is affected by the player participation policy because he was an All-Star in 2023.

If the NBA fines Utah for another player participation policy violation this season, that second infraction would cost the team $250K, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

It’s safe to assume the Jazz have been resting their leading scorer in an effort to improve their lottery odds. Ironically, Markkanen is having his least productive season yet among his three years in Utah.

Still, the seven-footer is averaging a solid 19.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.6 APG and 0.8 SPG in the 43 games he has played. He inked a new four-year contract extension last summer to stay with Utah through 2027/28.

At 15-50, the Jazz are the only team that has been eliminated from postseason consideration as of this writing and are on track to finish as one of the NBA’s three worst teams, which would give them the maximum possible odds at earning this year’s No. 1 overall pick (14%).

Jazz Reportedly Consider Rebuild To Be In Early Stages

March 7th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell during the 2022 offseason, the Jazz won 37 games in ’22/23 and 31 in ’23/24. This season, they’re on pace for just 20 wins, which would be the lowest total in franchise history.

However, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, the Jazz don’t view 2024/25 as the third year of their rebuild. Instead, they consider it part of their multiyear tear-down process. “In their eyes,” Todd writes, “the rebuild hasn’t started.”

As Todd points out, the Jazz still had several veterans on their roster after moving on from Gobert and Mitchell and have since traded many of those vets too, including Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, Kelly Olynyk, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Simone Fontecchio.

Additionally, although Utah has drafted in the lottery in each of the past two years, the team didn’t have a top-eight pick in either of those drafts and none of its five first-round picks from 2023 or 2024 have established themselves as clear foundational pieces, Todd notes.

Given that context, it makes sense that the front office isn’t ready to pivot toward contending in 2025/26. Instead, hanging onto their 2026 first-rounder is a priority for the Jazz, according to Todd. That pick is top-eight protected and will be sent to Oklahoma City if it lands at No. 9 or lower. If that pick lands in the top eight, Utah would keep it and would no longer owe draft assets to the Thunder.

That means another tanking season in 2025/26 appears highly likely for the Jazz, Todd writes. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link) has heard the same thing.

Of course, there’s a scenario in which the Jazz land a player like Cooper Flagg in this year’s draft and find themselves with too much talent on their roster to be an obvious bottom-feeder next season. If that happens, Todd writes, the Jazz might be more inclined to trade a player like Lauri Markkanen or Walker Kessler to ensure they hang onto their 2026 pick.

While the Jazz may find marketing value in spinning the past three seasons as a “tear-down” instead of a “rebuild,” I expect many fans in Utah will view the distinction as a semantic one and focus more on the fact that it has been a while since the organization has prioritized winning games.

As Larsen writes for The Salt Lake Tribune, several season ticket holders are upset about an announcement from the team that the price of their tickets are going up 2025/26. Some fans reported that prices have risen by up to 8%, Larsen writes, though the Jazz claim that most increases are closer to 3% or less and that the highest is about 6%.

“It’s extremely frustrating that I’m paying more than I was when we were the No. 1 seed and that it is far more expensive to be a season ticket holder than to just buy tickets from SeatGeek every game,” one season ticket holder told Larsen.

“Paying full price to watch a team play G League players and lose on purpose is already so disrespectful to your fan base,” another season ticket holder said, adding that he’s canceling his tickets for next season. “To then have the audacity to raise prices on season ticket holders, after being dead last in the West, shows how little this organization cares about the fans.”

Northwest Notes: SGA, Markkanen, Timberwolves, Shannon

February 14th, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Thunder superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a perpetual MVP candidate. Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman wonders if the three-time All-Star can turn into the NBA’s next generational standout on his own terms.

Gilgeous-Alexander has prioritized an exhaustive workout regimen over building out a particularly robust off-court sponsorship portfolio.

“I just live my life,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I come to work every day. I hoop. I interact with my fans. I love my family, call my friends. I do everything normal people do. I’m nobody special. I’m just like the rest of y’all, for y’all wondering what I’m like.”

The 6’6″ guard has led Oklahoma City to a 44-10 record, tied with Cleveland for the best in the league. Eight games clear of the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies, the Thunder appear poised to secure the No. 1 seed in the West for the second consecutive season.

As the team’s leader, Gilgeous-Alexander has been a huge part of that success. Across 53 games this season, the Kentucky alum is averaging 32.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per night.

“Being the face of the league would be special,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s, again, something I can’t control, but it’s something that would be amazing. At the end of it, I can just try to be the best basketball player I can be, the best person I could be, the best role model I could be for all the kids growing up trying to play basketball.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has had a down season for Utah, itself en route to its third straight lottery during his tenure with the team. To hear him explain his statistical dip, Markkanen is thinking about the 13-42 Jazz’s future, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The Arizona alum is adjusting his shot profile to be ready for more competitive games. “We’ve been working on, like, not getting just wide-open catch shoots all the time,” Markkanen said. “I’m trying to shoot more contested threes. Lightly contested, from behind dribble handoffs, and when they’re lazy switching. Stuff that I haven’t really shot before.” Larsen observes that the numbers bear this out, as Markkanen is attempting one fewer open three-pointer per game this season. Across 41 bouts, the 27-year-old is averaging 19.6 points per game on .432/.353/.869 shooting splits. Markkanen just inked a lucrative four-year contract extension last summer.
After Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore won a Timberwolves ownership arbitration ruling Monday against Glen Taylor, Chris Hine and Jeff Day of The Minnesota Star Tribune take stock of what’s next for Minnesota’s evolving ownership situation.
Timberwolves rookie wing Terrence Shannon Jr. has recently emerged alongside lottery pick Rob Dillingham as a useful bench cog for the West playoff hopefuls, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Shannon’s aggressive post play has impressed head coach Chris Finch, although consistent minutes have been tough to come by. “He loves finishing with reckless abandon, and we need that,” Finch said. “It’s a part of the reason we identified him in the draft. We had other guys that maybe were younger guys, but we wanted somebody who was a little bit more physically and mentally ready to play right away.”

Jazz Notes: Tanking, Markkanen, Mills, Williams, Collins

January 23rd, 2025 at 7:26am CST by Luke Adams

Several Jazz players who have sat out recent games likely would’ve been playing more if the team were contending for a playoff spot, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

That group includes Lauri Markkanen, who missed four consecutive games due to back spasms, and John Collins, who was out for eight straight due to left hip injury management. Third-year center Walker Kessler sat out a game last week in a non-back-to-back situation due to “rest.”

As Larsen writes, the Jazz are in full-on tank mode, which is probably the right long-term move for the franchise, given the challenges of attracting free agents to Utah and the need to build through the draft. Still, Larsen isn’t in favor of the NBA system that incentivizes losing and sought out a pair of Jazz veterans to get their thoughts on tanking.

“I don’t think losing, or purposefully losing, should be part of professional sports,” said Markkanen, who signed a long-term extension with Utah in August. “I feel like athletes always want to compete. I understand why some organizations around the NBA are doing it, but I feel like it sucks, in my opinion. There should be a better way to build rosters. That’s the way it’s been, so I understand it, but that’s my opinion.”

Veteran guard Patty Mills conveyed a similar sentiment.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve always played for purpose. I play for purpose, that’s for sure. So when purpose isn’t there, it’s definitely hard,” Mills said. “It’s obviously a business, and everyone realizes when you get to this stage. There are situations that will happen that will remind you of that. At the end of the day — it’s a business call for sure — our job is to go out there and help develop, help teach, especially these young guys, how to be professionals.”

Here’s more on the Jazz, who fell to 10-32 with a loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday:

Jazz rookie Cody Williams, who left Monday’s game vs. New Orleans due to what the team referred to as a left ankle sprain, was wearing a boot and was on crutches in the locker room after the game, according to Larsen, who suggests (via Twitter) the No. 10 overall pick may be facing a “decently long” absence. Williams wasn’t available for Wednesday’s game in OKC.
In a separate Salt Lake Tribune story, Larsen highlights Collins’ return from his eight-game injury absence, noting that the big man’s performance on Wednesday certainly didn’t hurt his trade value — Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Thunder and was a plus-12 in 26 minutes in a game Utah lost by nine points. Larsen also explores whether rumors linking Collins to the Kings make sense.
Appearing on the Jazz’s game broadcast on Wednesday, general manager Justin Zanik explained the thinking behind the team’s decision to trade three “least favorable” first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and 2029 to the Suns in exchange for Phoenix’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder, as Larsen relays. “The way it makes sense for us is that we now have another shot at a pick that has a lot of variability. The three picks we traded have no chance to be the No. 1 pick, and this one does,” Zanik said. “It balances out what we want, but we’ve always talked about bites at the apple or more swings in the draft, but it also is about the quality of the swings, and this is, in my opinion, the most valuable asset on the market right now.”

Jazz Notes: Juzang, Williams, Harkless, Markkanen

January 12th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz‘s matchup with the Heat on Thursday gave them a first-hand look at the sort of player they envision as a model for third-year wing Johnny Juzang, writes Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Head coach Will Hardy referred to Heat forward Duncan Robinson as the “poster boy” for the type of unheralded prospect who earns a spot in the NBA with his reliable three-point shooting and length on defense. Like Robinson, Juzang went undrafted out of college, and Hardy said this week that he spoke to the former UCLA standout when he arrived in Utah about how he could stick in the NBA.

“We had a pretty honest conversation about what I felt like he needed to do to make it,” Hardy said. “He was sort of an all-around scorer in college, had the ball a lot. Johnny has two really great gifts. He can really shoot and he is in really good shape. We felt like him becoming a real threat from the three-point line, and making that the centerpiece, would allow him to stick.”

Juzang played sparingly while on a two-way contract during his first two seasons with the Jazz, appearing in just 38 total contests. But he showed enough to earn a multiyear deal this past offseason that includes a guaranteed $3.1MM salary in 2024/25.

The remaining three seasons on the 23-year-old’s contract are non-guaranteed, so he’ll have to continuing proving to Utah’s front office that he deserves his roster spot. He’s off to a promising start this season, having averaged 7.3 points per game with a .400 3PT% through 32 appearances (17.8 MPG), including 9.2 PPG with a .446 3PT% since the start of December.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Juzang missed Saturday’s game in Phoenix due to a fracture in his right hand, but the club doesn’t believe that injury will require a lengthy absence. As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), the Jazz stated that once the inflammation subsides, they “anticipate he will be able to play with the fracture as pain tolerates.”
Saturday’s 13-point performance against Phoenix was a promising sign for rookie Cody Williams, who has badly struggled offensively in the first half of the season, Larsen writes for The Tribune (subscription required). Williams’ ball-handling and footwork still need work, but he has shown good touch near the basket out to about 15 feet, Larsen observes. His 13 points on Saturday represented a career high and he was a plus-7 across 22 minutes in a game Utah lost by eight points.
Elijah Harkless, who signed a two-way contract with Utah at the start of January, made his NBA debut on Saturday vs. the Suns, Larsen notes in the same story. While Harkless has been shooting the ball well this season in the G League, making 40.8% of his three-pointers, he’s best known for his defense. Asked last week by Larsen to introduce his game to Jazz fans, Harkless replied, “I’m competitive. Best on-ball defender on the planet.” He went scoreless with four rebounds in nine minutes on Saturday.
In case you missed it in our Community Shootaround discussion on Saturday, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was among the players labeled by scouts and executives who spoke to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link) as one of the season’s disappointments so far. “He’s probably not super motivated because the team is tanking,” one executive said of Markkanen, who signed a long-term extension with Utah in August. “But his numbers and his overall level is down across the board.”

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