Lauri Markkanen Rumors | Hoops Rumors

FA/Trade Rumors: Lakers, Klay, Mavs, DeRozan, Markkanen, Bey, Bullock

July 1st, 2024 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James and agent Rich Paul talked to the Lakers last week and conveyed that the star forward would be willing to accept a pay cut in 2024/25 in the event that the team was able to land one of the players on a “short list” of free agent targets, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirmed on Monday’s Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

Previous reporting identified three of those possible Lakers targets as James Harden, Klay Thompson, and Jonas Valanciunas. Of the three, only Thompson is still on the board after Harden reached a deal to re-sign with the Clippers and Valanciunas agreed to terms with the Wizards, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter on Sunday night (YouTube link) that James called Thompson right when free agency opened.

The Mavericks continue to be considered a strong contender for Thompson, but would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade agreement with the Warriors in order to acquire him into the $16MM+ trade exception they’re creating in the Tim Hardaway Jr. deal. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link), a third team may be needed in that scenario to take on an outgoing player from Dallas. While Begley doesn’t mention any specific names, that outgoing Mavs player would almost certainly be either Josh Green or Maxi Kleber.

Even if Thompson ends up in Dallas, the Lakers may still have other names on that “short list” of targets that the team discussed with James, per Windhorst.

“I think there’s more than three,” Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast. “I think DeMar DeRozan is on that list as well, and there may be another one or so.”

Here are a few more trade and free agency rumors from around the NBA:

During that same episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), Windhorst suggested that teams who have talked to the Jazz believe Lauri Markkanen could be had for the right price. According to Windhorst, the Warriors are “definitely investigating” Markkanen and the Spurs may also be among the teams with interest. “The teams who are negotiating with the Jazz do think there’s a good chance they’re going to move him,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “Sometimes, (Jazz CEO) Danny Ainge will act like he’s going to do a trade and then there’s no trade. Maybe that will happen again here. But the teams negotiating think (he’s available).”
Despite not tendering him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, the Hawks remain in discussions with forward Saddiq Bey, according to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks and Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). Bey will likely miss most or all of next season due to a torn ACL, so if Atlanta wants to keep him, it makes more sense to discuss a longer-term deal without the risk that the 25-year-old will accept his one-year, $8.5MM QO.
Free agent wing Reggie Bullock has met with the Suns, Nuggets, Clippers, and Sixers so far in free agency, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the veteran swingman is expected to talk to more teams in the coming days. Bullock’s market figures to be for the vet minimum.

Hawks, Bruno Fernando Agree To Push Back Guarantee Date

June 29th, 2024 at 9:36pm CST by Luke Adams

For a second straight year, the Hawks and Bruno Fernando have reached an agreement to push back his salary guarantee date, reports Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

In 2023, Atlanta moved Fernando’s salary guarantee deadline from June 29 to July 10, then ultimately kept him on the roster, guaranteeing his full $2.58MM salary for ’23/24. The guarantee date for his $2.72MM salary for ’24/25 has been pushed from June 29 into next month, Williams says, though there are no specific details yet on the new date.

Fernando is one of several players around the league who had a June 28 or June 29 salary guarantee date on his contract for 2024/25. Here are updates on a few of the others:

T.J. McConnell‘s $9.3MM salary for 2024/25, which had been partially guaranteed for $5MM, became fully guaranteed when the Pacers guard remained under contract through Friday, as Tony East of SI.com tweets. Given McConnell’s on-court value to Indiana, he was obviously never in danger of being waived.
That’s also true of Lauri Markkanen, whose contract with the Jazz featured a salary guarantee deadline on Friday. We can safely assume the team didn’t make any effort to push that date back, so the star forward’s $18MM salary for next season is now guaranteed.
Dante Exum remains in the Mavericks‘ plans going forward, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who notes (via Twitter) that the guard’s $3.15MM salary for 2024/25 became guaranteed when he wasn’t waived on Friday. Exum had a very successful return to the NBA last season after two years in Europe, averaging 7.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.7 RPG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line in 55 games (19.8 MPG) for Dallas.
Josh Minott‘s $2.02MM salary with the Timberwolves for 2024/25 is now guaranteed, tweets Dane Moore of Blue Wire Podcasts. Minott’s cap hit is a little less than that of a two-year veteran’s minimum, so in addition to having the opportunity to continue developing the 2022 second-round pick, Minnesota will save a little money by carrying him in place of a minimum-salary signing.
Reporting last week suggested that the Rockets planned to keep center Jock Landale through his guarantee date on Saturday, and there have been no indications since then that the plan has changed or that his deadline has been pushed back, so we’re assuming his $8MM salary for 2024/25 is now fully guaranteed. Landale, who had an inconsistent role last season, could be used as a salary-matching piece in a Houston trade at some point during the coming league year.
Our early salary guarantee date tracker has been updated to reflect all of these updates.

Trade Rumors: Wiggins, Warriors, Rockets, Ingram, Kings, Jazz

June 28th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Wiggins is no longer in the mix for the Canadian national team this summer, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto (Twitter link), who says the Warriors are “playing hardball” with a player they are “looking to move.”

Wiggins was insured and medically cleared by Canada Basketball, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but it sounds like the Warriors don’t want to risk his health during trade negotiations after he dealt with an ankle issue last season. While Grange says the veteran forward isn’t thrilled about the decision, Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) refers to it as a mutual one.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Wiggins is one of several Warriors veterans who is considered a potential outgoing piece if Golden State makes a major deal. Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II fall into that category, as does Chris Paul, whose $30MM salary remains non-guaranteed for the time being. The Warriors’ decision on Paul’s non-guaranteed salary is due on Friday, but it’s possible the team will give him a partial guarantee in exchange for pushing back that deadline, says Fischer.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

While some trade rumors earlier this week linked Kevin Durant to Houston, the Rockets are more interested in pursuing younger trade targets whose timeline matches up better with their core, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Amick and Slater name Suns guard Devin Booker, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson as some players who would fit that bill for Houston, acknowledging that there’s no indication any of those players will be available this summer.
Exploring potential trade partners for the Pelicans and forward Brandon Ingram, Fischer mentions the Kings, Sixers, Hawks, and Cavaliers as possibilities. However, he says that Atlanta and New Orleans haven’t had substantive discussions since talking about Dejounte Murray in February, while Cleveland remains reluctant to part with any of its four core players, including potential Pels target Jarrett Allen. It’s also unclear how high Ingram ranks on Philadelphia’s list of possible targets, Fischer adds. Sacramento, meanwhile, has been in the market for help on the wing this offseason, though Fischer doesn’t explicitly say the Kings have talked to New Orleans about Ingram.
Although rival teams are expected to continue calling to register interest in Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz‘s goal continues to be extending the veteran forward and acquiring another star to complement him, Fischer writes. Adrian Wojnarowski expressed a similar sentiment during ESPN’s draft broadcast this week. Utah talked to the Hawks about Murray in February and also expressed interest in Mikal Bridges before Brooklyn agreed to send him to New York, says Fischer.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks Offseason, New York Targets, Celtics, Marinkovic

June 19th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks have a busy offseason ahead of them, but have a solid foundation of returning players, led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract, as is Bojan Bogdanovic, though his salary is only partially guaranteed for now and he may be used as a trade chip.

Still, New York has two key free agents to take care of: OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks may have an easier time signing Anunoby, who is expected to explore unrestricted free agency but whose full Bird rights are held by New York. A four-year, $160MM deal makes sense for Anunoby, Smith writes, given his production and what the team sent out to trade for him (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and draft capital).

However, the Knicks are limited to offering Hartenstein an average annual salary of about $18.1MM, which could be topped by teams with ample cap space like the Thunder and Magic, each of whom may have interest. Nonetheless, it’s not impossible Hartenstein opts to return. The difference in what he might earn from another team and from New York might not be sizable enough for him to want to make a drastic scenery change, given his current role. Smith writes the Knicks could look to agree to a two-year deal with Hartenstein that allows him to hit free agency again before he turns 28 and gives the club full Bird rights, when the cap is expected to increase.

If the Knicks re-sign both Anunoby and Hartenstein, Smith points out they’ll almost certainly be a second apron team, which would limit their ability to trade for a star player, something they’ve seemed poised to do for some time. What New York decides to do with its two biggest free agents will also likely impact the team’s willingness to bring back free agents such as Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks and Jericho Sims.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

In the second half of a two-part series, Fred Katz of The Athletic examines the names that might arise this offseason if the Knicks pursue a star, considering how realistic each player would be as a trade target. Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, Joel Embiid and Zach LaVine are the names mentioned by Katz, but only a Markkanen deal feels like it might make sense for both sides.
The Celtics almost made a number of massive moves in the build-up to what led to their 2024 title team. They had trade talks over the years about Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and had a godfather offer out to the Hornets with an eye toward moving up to No. 9 in the 2015 draft to select Justise Winslow. Any of those moves could have drastically altered Boston’s timeline. In a piece exploring Boston’s process to building a championship team, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (ESPN+ link) reports that the Celtics tried to acquire a second lottery pick in 2017 in order to select Donovan Mitchell, and again attempted to trade for him after Utah selected him.
Vanja Marinkovic will return to Partizan Mozzart Bet, with whom he has played 119 career games, after signing a two-year deal with them on Monday, the team announced. Marinkovic’s draft rights are held by the Nets after Brooklyn acquired them in the three-team deal that sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns. Marinkovic was the No. 60 overall pick in 2019.

Heat Notes: Edey, Markkanen, Jovic, Offseason

June 14th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Zach Edey could be an option with the 15th pick if the Heat are looking to add size in the draft, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Purdue center, who had a workout in Miami earlier this month, stands 7’4″ and weighs nearly 300 pounds. He would ensure that the Heat aren’t physically overmatched in the middle whenever Bam Adebayo is resting.

“Every team needs someone to hold down the paint,” Edey said. “You need someone to grab the rebound. You need somebody to block shots. You need someone to finish lobs. You need someone to do all those things. Like not everything has to be with me having the ball in my hands in a post-up. I think I can do a lot of things. Obviously at Purdue, we used a lot of post-ups. But if you really watch the games there’s a lot of ball screens and that’s what they run in the NBA, ball screens, seals, re-posts.”

The two-time Player of the Year in the NCAA hears that his potential draft spot is “between 10 and 25.” Several teams in Miami’s range could be in the market for size, so it’s not certain that Edey will still be on the board at No. 15. He said at the draft combine that he hopes to prove to teams that he’s capable of doing more in the NBA than just clogging the paint.

“Obviously I need to show people I can shoot the way I believe I can,” Edey said. “But I think for the most part I know what I’m good at. Like if teams have tons of film on me, obviously I think I’m quicker than teams think I am, I think I can shoot better than teams think I can. I have to show that. I’ve been in college for four years. They’ve got a lot of film on me. They kind of know what I can do.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat could have interest in trading for Lauri Markkanen, but getting Jimmy Butler in return is unlikely to appeal to the Jazz, Winderman states in a mailbag column. At 34, Butler doesn’t fit Utah’s timeline, Winderman notes, and his injury history and desire for an extension make him especially risky. A deal involving Tyler Herro and other pieces could be more realistic, but Winderman describes the Jazz as “lukewarm” to that possibility.
Nikola Jovic will be reevaluated in two weeks after suffering a minor left ankle sprain, sources tell Winderman (Twitter link). The Heat forward is still expected to be able to play for Serbia in the Olympics.
Responding to questions from readers, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald examines Butler’s future, negotiations with the Heat’s soon-to-be free agents and potential moves for the summer.

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Thunder, Wallace, Wolves

June 3rd, 2024 at 10:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen won’t play for Finland in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Spain, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. Markkanen aggravated an impingement to his right shoulder in late March and the injury has still not fully healed.

“Certainly, this is tough,” the Jazz forward said in a statement. “Representing Finland and playing for the national team is an honor for me. Along with my teammates, we have been talking all season about how sweet it would be to advance to the Olympic Games.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder had an overload of players on their roster last offseason but that won’t be the case this time around, Rylan Stiles of SI.com notes. Oklahoma City will have four open standard contract roster spots available with Gordon Hayward, Bismack Biyombo, Mike Muscala and possibly Lindy Waters III (club option) headed to free agency. They will also have at least one two-way spot available with Olivier Sarr tearing his Achilles late last season. He’s expected to be out all of next season.
Cason Wallace exceeded expectations in his rookie season with the Thunder, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. Wallace, the No. 10 pick of last year’s draft, appeared in every game and make the All-Rookie Second Team. He also shot 41.9% from 3-point range and displayed strong defensive skills.
In draft news, Melvin Ajinca (France), Jalen Bridges (Baylor), Tristan Enaruna (Cleveland State), Ajay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara), Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco) and Baylor Scheierman (Creighton) worked out for the Timberwolves on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. Scheierman is currently ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

Jazz Notes: Zanik, Future, Markkanen, Hardy, Lofton

April 12th, 2024 at 6:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link) last week, general manager Justin Zanik said the dearth of appealing options in free agency will have the Jazz looking upgrade via the trade market this offseason.

“If you study the free agent trends — and this is not unique to the Jazz, this is every other team that’s not on a coast — that the actual depth and quality of the free agents is not great, and it’s not going to get any better,” Zanik said. “That doesn’t mean it’s completely out, but it’s just not going to be a main driver of how you build teams. The main driver of how you’re building teams is developing your players and adding by trade.

“We’re in a more unique position than some other teams that are faced with the same free agent list that we’re looking at,” he continued. “Not only just the flexibility we have but just the multiple assets we have to deal.”

The Jazz have several additional future first-round picks from Minnesota and Cleveland due to the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, Larsen notes. Zanik made clear Utah is looking to add star players who may find themselves at odds with their current teams in the future.

“We’ve talked before about trying to predict the NBA drama that happens,” Zanik said. “You just sit there and wait for it to come, but we’re ready.”

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Star forward Lauri Markkanen turns 27 next month, meaning he’s theoretically entering his prime. 2024/25 is also the final season of his current contract — he’ll make a little over $18MM next season. While Zanik said the Jazz will be opportunistic in building around Markkanen, they’re also not in a rush just to become mediocre in the next season or two, Larsen writes in the same story. “Lauri’s a hugely important piece for us now and going forward,” Zanik said. “I don’t want to waste any years of that, but you also have to do it within the timeline. We’re not trying to say, ‘Hey, Lauri, we’ll make you happy because you’ve never made the playoffs, so we’re going to burn all our picks and get some marginal improvement from an overpaid player so that maybe we’ll be a seven seed.’ Our goal is to make the playoffs and then grow from there. … (We want to) add people that are complementary to Lauri and to Walker (Kessler). That doesn’t have to be Mr. Alpha on whatever team. I’d love them to be as good or better than Lauri, but they could be a couple of really, really good role players.”
Next year’s draft is considered to be much stronger than the class that will be selected in June. Would the Jazz consider tanking all of next season to secure the best chance to add a prized prospect like Cooper Flagg? According to Larsen, Zanik thinks there’s too much talent on the current roster for that to be feasible, and he also thinks it’s unnecessary. “We have distinct holes on this team and roster balance stuff that has taken a couple of years to address,” he said. “We’re also betting on our own development, let alone with the rookies but the rest of our group.” Zanik also praised head coach Will Hardy and said he’s on board with the Jazz’s plans, Larsen adds.
In another subscriber-only story for The Salt Lake Tribune, Larsen examines the strong performance Kenneth Lofton Jr. turned in during Thursday’s victory over Houston. Larsen is particularly high on Lofton’s passing ability, writing that the 21-year-old could be a legitimately good NBA player if he gets in better shape to be more mobile defensively while also developing his three-point shot. The second-year forward/center, whose salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, put up 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 27 minutes yesterday, which was only his second appearance for Utah.

Lauri Markkanen Likely Done For Season

March 30th, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

An MRI conducted Friday on Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen revealed that he re-aggravated an impingement to his right shoulder, the team announced (via Twitter). Doctors plan to reevaluate Markkanen in two weeks, which effectively ends his season.

Markkanen was feeling discomfort in the shoulder after playing 42 minutes in Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, the Jazz added. He missed more than two weeks earlier this month due to a right quadriceps contusion.

Injuries limited Markkanen to just 55 games in his second year with Utah. His numbers were down slightly from his All-Star season in 2022/23, but he still averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 33.1 minutes per night while shooting 48% from the field and 39.9% from three-point range.

Markkanen’s $18MM contract for next season currently carries just a partial guarantee of $6MM and won’t officially become fully guaranteed until two days before the start of this year’s moratorium. That figures to become a moot point, though, as Markkanen is expected to pursue a renegotiation and long-term extension with the Jazz this summer.

And-Ones: Cousins, LeBron, Redick, Value Contracts, 2025 FAs

March 18th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Former All-NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins will be returning to the Taiwan Beer Leopards in mid-April, according to Chen Jung-chen and James Lo of Focus Taiwan. Cousins played four games for the Leopards in January.

“Super excited to be back and gearing up for an epic season of playoffs with my teammates and all of you,” Cousins said in a video released on the team’s Facebook page. “Your support means the world, let’s lock it in and go all the way for this championship run.”

While he hasn’t officially announced his retirement from the NBA, the 33-year-old said in an interview last month that he doesn’t really expect to be back in the league. Since playing for the Nuggets in 2021/22, the four-time All-Star has been out of the NBA, competing professionally in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Lakers superstar LeBron James and ESPN commentator JJ Redick are starting a new podcast that’s “planned to be a pure conversation about basketball,” reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. “It’s meant to be a very free-flowing conversation about the sport and about the game,” former NBA sharpshooter Redick told Marchand. “If you look at it in a very simplistic way, it’s just about basketball.” A teaser of the Mind the Game podcast was released on YouTube, with the first full episode debuting tomorrow.
With several caveats (no maximum or minimum-salary deals, no rookie scale deals, no second-round exception deals), Keith Smith of Spotrac lists what he believes are the 10 best value contracts in the NBA. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the East’s reigning Player of the Week, ranks No. 1, followed by Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. at No. 2.
Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype rank 75 players who could potentially be free agents in 2025, with the top spot going to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, followed by Knicks star Brunson. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Scottie Barnes (Raptors) and Lauri Markkanen (Jazz) round out the top five.

Northwest Notes: Ayton, Murray, Wolves, Jazz

March 14th, 2024 at 5:22pm CST by Rory Maher

After an uneven first few months with his new club, Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton has been living up to his self-styled nickname (“DominAyton”) over the past several weeks, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report.

“I think we’ve unlocked him,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “We’re getting the best version of him. He’s been a monster.”

As Highkin writes, since January 24 — a stretch that covers 16 games for Ayton — the Bahamian center has averaged 20.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 0.9 BPG while shooting 63.2% from the field and 94.7% from the free throw line in 33.5 MPG. In Wednesday’s victory over Atlanta, the 25-year-old scored a season-high 33 points (on 15-of-20 shooting) and pulled down 19 rebounds, the second time in three games he’s had at least 30 points and 19 boards.

“Coming into these games, I’m trying to do everything,” Ayton said, per Highkin. “Not only do my requirements, my role for this team, but do a lot more. That’s where I’m at. I’m more dominant. People like to laugh at it, but it’s the truth.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray doesn’t hold any individual awards, but he knows he’s respected and feared by his opponents, he told Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports. “Of course,” Murray said when asked if he thought he was one of the best players in the league. “And I strive to be the greatest. I want to be the best player ever. Obviously, if you don’t shoot high, then you’re never going to get there. I think (Nikola) Jokic is the greatest player right now. And I try to be a close second.” A brilliant postseason performer, the 27-year-old said he has his sights set on the award his teammate Jokic won last year: Finals MVP.
With Karl-Anthony Towns out at least four weeks following knee surgery, it’s natural that people would begin to question the Timberwolves‘ status as a postseason contender, despite their excellent season to this point — they’re currently 45-21, one game back of the top-seeded Nuggets. According to Chris Mannix of SI.com, Minnesota is embracing being an underdog. “We got a team full of dogs, man,” said point guard Mike Conley. “We got guys who want the opportunity that we have. It’s all uphill and people are doubting and that’s where we work best, I think. We’re just going to go out there and do what we do, block the noise out and kind of hold it down until he gets back and be ready to go.” The Wolves have gone 2-2 since Towns was injured.
The Jazz provided injury updates on three injured players on Wednesday, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Rookie forward Taylor Hendricks (toe sprain) was a full practice participant yesterday, while Lauri Markkanen (right quadriceps contusion) was a partial participant. Hendricks has missed the past three games, while Markkanen has missed four straight. Jordan Clarkson (right groin strain) did not practice. Larsen speculates that Hendricks could return on Friday vs. Atlanta, but the other two players may take a little bit longer to return.