Ainge just got promoted from bad GM to horrible ..

[Lo Wang]

Salty fan of a team that couldn't trade for a good player for garbage.

RealGM should have a 18 year old minimum for posting

I'm old enough to be 99% of the posters in here's grandfather, so the minimum age requirement won't apply to me. Nice try though.

Ofc I would love Markkanen, so that's why I'm so critical of Ainge. He's bad for the NBA. He reminds me of vendors who sell $20 water bottles in disaster zones. He sees a need and charges an extravagant amount playing on that need. It is unethical and pathetic. I know you young guys don't care about ethics.

As an old fart, I've learned that ethics go a longer way than sheer greed. In fact, I despise greed hence why I think what Ainge is doing is abominable.

[dhsilv2]

He's not going to build around Markannen. To build around, you will have to attract solid stars or role players to the team, and he is a failure at that, plus nobody wants to play in Utah.

Trading Markannen to play the draft and possibly get Cooper was the best option. Resigning him meant Ainge failed at his job embarrassingly.

Keep wishing for the trade that will never happen Utah fans.

4 first + 2 seconds + young star = COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL

That’s a stupid take. Best case is you get a 12.5% chance at Flagg and a 25% chance at him or Bailey.
Even without Lauri they can’t out tank Brooklyn, Washington, and Detroit, and maybe not Charlotte or Portland.
With Lauri they still are in that 5% range for number 1 and 10% at 1 or 2. The difference isn’t worth trading a high quality asset for minor pieces or middling picks.

Where are you getting your numbers from? With Lauri, they are a play in contender: good enough to be completely inconsequential and bad enough to not make a dent in the lottery.

Utah has no choice but to tank. We're not talking about the Lakers here; the Lakers can be a mid team and trade away all their assets because they can attract any star to LA. Utah can't. They have no choice but to play the lottery.

Resigning Markannen is a huge blunder.

Ainge is trying to build a contender while continuing to keep fans watching and paying to see the games. They aren't going to free for all tank. That isn't going to happen.

[SK21209]

Because he didn’t trade Lauri for low value package? No. Thats a good GM. Now he has locked him up through his prime on a fair contract giving him a top notch trade asset/ or decent player to build around for years to come.

He's not going to build around Markannen. To build around, you will have to attract solid stars or role players to the team, and he is a failure at that, plus nobody wants to play in Utah.

Trading Markannen to play the draft and possibly get Cooper was the best option. Resigning him meant Ainge failed at his job embarrassingly.

Keep wishing for the trade that will never happen Utah fans.

4 first + 2 seconds + young star = COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL

That’s a stupid take. Best case is you get a 12.5% chance at Flagg and a 25% chance at him or Bailey.
Even without Lauri they can’t out tank Brooklyn, Washington, and Detroit, and maybe not Charlotte or Portland.
With Lauri they still are in that 5% range for number 1 and 10% at 1 or 2. The difference isn’t worth trading a high quality asset for minor pieces or middling picks.

This. The idea that Utah can't tank properly with Lauri is dumb. They just finished 31-51 with him lol. They'll probably try to trade Sexton and Collins before the season starts or before the deadline. The only teams below them in the West were the Grizzlies, Spurs and Blazers. The Grizzlies will definitely jump them, decent chance the Spurs do too. So you're likely the second worst team in the West, maybe the worst if one of Portland's young guys takes a leap.

Would you rather (1) Keep a 27 year old fringe All-Star in Lauri, and still be one of the 5 or 6 worst teams in the league or (2) trade Lauri, and raise your odds at a top pick by a few percentage points. I'll take (1). If you get some lottery luck and come away with Flagg (and it would still take a fair amount of luck to get him even if you trade Lauri), well now you have Flagg and Lauri and are really cooking.

[EmpireFalls]

To be honest I understand the logic. You don’t get players like Lauri to come to Utah ever, he’s only 26, build with him.

[Lo Wang]

That’s a stupid take. Best case is you get a 12.5% chance at Flagg and a 25% chance at him or Bailey.
Even without Lauri they can’t out tank Brooklyn, Washington, and Detroit, and maybe not Charlotte or Portland.
With Lauri they still are in that 5% range for number 1 and 10% at 1 or 2. The difference isn’t worth trading a high quality asset for minor pieces or middling picks.

Where are you getting your numbers from? With Lauri, they are a play in contender: good enough to be completely inconsequential and bad enough to not make a dent in the lottery.

Utah has no choice but to tank. We're not talking about the Lakers here; the Lakers can be a mid team and trade away all their assets because they can attract any star to LA. Utah can't. They have no choice but to play the lottery.

Resigning Markannen is a huge blunder.

Ainge is trying to build a contender while continuing to keep fans watching and paying to see the games. They aren't going to free for all tank. That isn't going to happen.

That's just conjecture. Markannen is getting traded. The extension is prolonging the inevitable.

I will only change my opinion if there is proof he is off the trade market. Saying he is valued and in their long term plans and putting him on the trade market at the same time sounds like BS.

[Domejandro]

Because he didn’t trade Lauri for low value package? No. Thats a good GM. Now he has locked him up through his prime on a fair contract giving him a top notch trade asset/ or decent player to build around for years to come.

He's not going to build around Markannen. To build around, you will have to attract solid stars or role players to the team, and he is a failure at that, plus nobody wants to play in Utah.

Trading Markannen to play the draft and possibly get Cooper was the best option. Resigning him meant Ainge failed at his job embarrassingly.

Keep wishing for the trade that will never happen Utah fans.

4 first + 2 seconds + young star = COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL

What if there weren't any solid packages available? What if Lauri Markkanen wants to stay (which this situation clearly indicates), and was not willing to commit to a long-term extension with other teams?

[Lo Wang]

To be honest I understand the logic. You don’t get players like Lauri to come to Utah ever, he’s only 26, build with him.

They tried and failed. Nobody is coming to Utah. That is not my opinion; that is a fact. This means they can't build around him.

To start over, they have to start young and tank. Why would they keep a 26 year old to rebuild? By the time the young guys are in their primes, he's an old fart on the verge of retirement.

We need to get over the idea keeping Markannen is good for the team. They already tried for a year. It didn't work.

[Moose]

The rumor in the Thunder camp is he wanted 4 first rounders 2 second rounders and either Chet, Jdub, or Shai or 2 role players like Wiggins, Joe, Nikola Topic or Dort. Negotiations went nowhere and he was forced to sign an extension.

Funny thing is, the Utah fans are celebrating this as a win when he has absolutely no intention of keeping Markannen. He's only extending him to give himself more time until a team dumb enough to bite, which probably will not happen because everyone knows his shenanigans.

Note* Why would Markannen stay with a team desperately trying to get rid of him? As a Thunder fan, I don't want him anymore. Way too soft.

If I worked for a company, even though I know they want to get rid of me, but they instead offered me a $238 million contract, I think I'd take the money too.

Other teams can offer him a bit less but he can still keep his dignity.

Markannen has no fight in him.

Lol no dignity and fight. ...dude just secured $240 million and is a top-35, player in the NBA.

[brackdan70]

He's not going to build around Markannen. To build around, you will have to attract solid stars or role players to the team, and he is a failure at that, plus nobody wants to play in Utah.

Trading Markannen to play the draft and possibly get Cooper was the best option. Resigning him meant Ainge failed at his job embarrassingly.

Keep wishing for the trade that will never happen Utah fans.

4 first + 2 seconds + young star = COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL

That’s a stupid take. Best case is you get a 12.5% chance at Flagg and a 25% chance at him or Bailey.
Even without Lauri they can’t out tank Brooklyn, Washington, and Detroit, and maybe not Charlotte or Portland.
With Lauri they still are in that 5% range for number 1 and 10% at 1 or 2. The difference isn’t worth trading a high quality asset for minor pieces or middling picks.

Where are you getting your numbers from? With Lauri, they are a play in contender: good enough to be completely inconsequential and bad enough to not make a dent in the lottery.

Utah has no choice but to tank. We're not talking about the Lakers here; the Lakers can be a mid team and trade away all their assets because they can attract any star to LA. Utah can't. They have no choice but to play the lottery.

Resigning Markannen is a huge blunder.

Even without Lauri they won’t be a bottom 3 team. At 4th worst they would have. 12.5%. Chance of picking first, 12.2% chance of picking 2nd. With him they are still not a playoff team in the west. Lauri is a good player and is worth 5 -7 wins. He won’t play every game. Ainge may trade some vets yet.
They probably end up around 9th which has odds of 4.5 and 4.8% at one and two. Could easily be 8th which has over 6% odds at each.

So letting him go for a couple middling picks and some roster jetsam isn’t worth it. Ainge knows that to rebuild you increase asset value and make shrewd moves. Being patient is one of his strength.

[the_process]

The rumor in the Thunder camp is he wanted 4 first rounders 2 second rounders and either Chet, Jdub, or Shai or 2 role players like Wiggins, Joe, Nikola Topic or Dort. Negotiations went nowhere and he was forced to sign an extension.

Funny thing is, the Utah fans are celebrating this as a win when he has absolutely no intention of keeping Markannen. He's only extending him to give himself more time until a team dumb enough to bite, which probably will not happen because everyone knows his shenanigans.

Note* Why would Markannen stay with a team desperately trying to get rid of him? As a Thunder fan, I don't want him anymore. Way too soft.

If I worked for a company, even though I know they want to get rid of me, but they instead offered me a $238 million contract, I think I'd take the money too.

Other teams can offer him a bit less but he can still keep his dignity.

Markannen has no fight in him.

This is an awful take. You take the 238 million and ask out later if you want. They might already have an agreement that he will be dealt next summer. Or maybe Lauri simply wants to stay in Utah?

[dhsilv2]

Where are you getting your numbers from? With Lauri, they are a play in contender: good enough to be completely inconsequential and bad enough to not make a dent in the lottery.

Utah has no choice but to tank. We're not talking about the Lakers here; the Lakers can be a mid team and trade away all their assets because they can attract any star to LA. Utah can't. They have no choice but to play the lottery.

Resigning Markannen is a huge blunder.

Ainge is trying to build a contender while continuing to keep fans watching and paying to see the games. They aren't going to free for all tank. That isn't going to happen.

That's just conjecture. Markannen is getting traded. The extension is prolonging the inevitable.

I will only change my opinion if there is proof he is off the trade market. Saying he is valued and in their long term plans and putting him on the trade market at the same time sounds like BS.

Nobody said he was in their long term plan. But the jazz have also clearly planned to extend him from the start too. Their goal is to remain watchable basketball for the fans to keep people paying to see the team. And building up assets to be able to win in the future.

Remember most NBA GM's are not trying to win a title. That isn't their job. It's to hit the targets of owners...which are often much more about cash flow.

[Nate505]

Salty fan of a team that couldn't trade for a good player for garbage.

RealGM should have a 18 year old minimum for posting

I'm old enough to be 99% of the posters in here's grandfather, so the minimum age requirement won't apply to me. Nice try though.

Ofc I would love Markkanen, so that's why I'm so critical of Ainge. He's bad for the NBA. He reminds me of vendors who sell $20 water bottles in disaster zones. He sees a need and charges an extravagant amount playing on that need. It is unethical and pathetic. I know you young guys don't care about ethics.

As an old fart, I've learned that ethics go a longer way than sheer greed. In fact, I despise greed hence why I think what Ainge is doing is abominable.

This is quite possibly the worst analogy I've ever seen here, and that's saying something.

[Lo Wang]

If I worked for a company, even though I know they want to get rid of me, but they instead offered me a $238 million contract, I think I'd take the money too.

Other teams can offer him a bit less but he can still keep his dignity.

Markannen has no fight in him.

Lol no dignity and fight. ...dude just secured $240 million and is a top-35, player in the NBA.

It doesn't matter if he secured a huge contract; appeasing Ainge while he is deliberately trying to get rid of him proves to me he is soft.

Do you think Giannis would put up with that? What about Doncic? Even Ben Simmons has more self respect. He basically told the 76ers FU over a critical comment from the coach.

Markannen = weak minded.

[brackdan70]

Salty fan of a team that couldn't trade for a good player for garbage.

RealGM should have a 18 year old minimum for posting

I'm old enough to be 99% of the posters in here's grandfather, so the minimum age requirement won't apply to me. Nice try though.

Ofc I would love Markkanen, so that's why I'm so critical of Ainge. He's bad for the NBA. He reminds me of vendors who sell $20 water bottles in disaster zones. He sees a need and charges an extravagant amount playing on that need. It is unethical and pathetic. I know you young guys don't care about ethics.

As an old fart, I've learned that ethics go a longer way than sheer greed. In fact, I despise greed hence why I think what Ainge is doing is abominable.

This is quite possibly the worst analogy I've ever seen here, and that's saying something.

Agree.

Making this about ethics?

Next he is going to say Ainge has lost his moral compass.

[ghillphx]

The rumor in the Thunder camp is he wanted 4 first rounders 2 second rounders and either Chet or Jdub or 2 role players like Wiggins, Joe, Nikola Topic or Dort. Negotiations went nowhere and he was forced to sign an extension.

Funny thing is, the Utah fans are celebrating this as a win when he has absolutely no intention of keeping Markannen. He's only extending him to give himself more time until a team dumb enough to bite, which probably will not happen because everyone knows his shenanigans.

Note* Why would Markannen stay with a team desperately trying to get rid of him? As a Thunder fan, I don't want him anymore. Way too soft.

OP might be the joke here.

[Lo Wang]

Ainge is trying to build a contender while continuing to keep fans watching and paying to see the games. They aren't going to free for all tank. That isn't going to happen.

That's just conjecture. Markannen is getting traded. The extension is prolonging the inevitable.

I will only change my opinion if there is proof he is off the trade market. Saying he is valued and in their long term plans and putting him on the trade market at the same time sounds like BS.

Nobody said he was in their long term plan. But the jazz have also clearly planned to extend him from the start too. Their goal is to remain watchable basketball for the fans to keep people paying to see the team. And building up assets to be able to win in the future.

Remember most NBA GM's are not trying to win a title. That isn't their job. It's to hit the targets of owners...which are often much more about cash flow.

I agree with everything you said, but the target is to trade Markkanen and tank.

Looks like he's off the mark by a wide margin.

[Catchall]

Ainge is a good GM. Jazz weren’t going to trade Lauri unless they were blown away with an offer. They didn’t need to trade him and didn’t want to trade him.

Now they’ve got Lauri locked up on a fair-market deal for 5 years. If the Jazz want to explore trading Lauri, they can look into it again next offseason.

[dhsilv2]

That's just conjecture. Markannen is getting traded. The extension is prolonging the inevitable.

I will only change my opinion if there is proof he is off the trade market. Saying he is valued and in their long term plans and putting him on the trade market at the same time sounds like BS.

Nobody said he was in their long term plan. But the jazz have also clearly planned to extend him from the start too. Their goal is to remain watchable basketball for the fans to keep people paying to see the team. And building up assets to be able to win in the future.

Remember most NBA GM's are not trying to win a title. That isn't their job. It's to hit the targets of owners...which are often much more about cash flow.

I agree with everything you said, but the target is to trade Markkanen and tank.

Looks like he's off the mark by a wide margin.

When has ainge ever tanked like you're talking about? You keep saying the target is to trade him..I'm sure they're open to it. But they're not going to do it unless the deal is favorable. Otherwise it's stupid to get rid of a good player.

[Cavsfansince84]

Some team on the verge of contending will almost definitely trade for him in the next year or so. The contract isn't that bad for a guy who is a top 25 player. He also has good off ball value unlike a lot of top 20 players. You can slot him in next to most 25ppg scorers pretty easily.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

don't see a big problem. biggest risk is injury. otherwise he's got a ton of time to make a deal. if he ends up taking a more fair deal, he gets what everyone said he would've gotten anyway.

His deals are ridiculous. He's bad for the NBA because he's setting a bad precedent. If it is going to take 4 first rounders, 2 seconds, and a potential all star young player for an average player (Markannen is soft and overrated), then what is it going to take for a legit all star? The owner will probably have to sign over the team or marry his daughter just to appease such ridiculous trade demands.

He over played his hand; noone is going to bite.

His job is to get the absolute best deal he possibly can and he’s spent his career doing very well in that regard.

You okay?