Jazz Not Interested In Trading Lauri Markkanen

[SkyHook]

Ainge mismanaged the rebuild of the Jazz.
He cashed out on Gobert and Mitchell, but dragged it out too long, spent 2 year at pick #10 instead of bottoming out just to not sell at what he perceives as low price.
He now had to max Markannen, sold Sexton dirt cheap and spent the entirety of Walker Kessler cheap years on a rebuilding team that didn't succeed in landing any worthy cornerstone.
Just another example of teams squandering valuable years in no mans land...

I'm fine with Lauri's contract—I don't much care about his trade value if the intent is to keep him—but there's little argument with everything else you said. As bad as their decision making has been the past three years, this offseason has reached its nadir.

It's funny how much luck plays into this though. Everyone lauds the Spurs rebuild and rightly so, but if they had the Wizards or Pistons recent luck in the lottery instead of their extremely good fortune these last three years (not to mention 1997 and 1987) we might think of them in perpetual no man's land as well.

[Mavrelous]

Ainge mismanaged the rebuild of the Jazz.
He cashed out on Gobert and Mitchell, but dragged it out too long, spent 2 year at pick #10 instead of bottoming out just to not sell at what he perceives as low price.
He now had to max Markannen, sold Sexton dirt cheap and spent the entirety of Walker Kessler cheap years on a rebuilding team that didn't succeed in landing any worthy cornerstone.
Just another example of teams squandering valuable years in no mans land...

I'm fine with Lauri's contract—I don't much care about his trade value if the intent is to keep him—but there's little argument with everything else you said. As bad as their decision making has been the past three years, this offseason has reached its nadir.

It's funny how much luck plays into this though. Everyone lauds the Spurs rebuild and rightly so, but if they had the Wizards or Pistons recent luck in the lottery instead of their extremely good fortune these last three years (not to mention 1997 and 1987) we might think of them in perpetual no man's land as well.

Teams make their own luck, Jazz spent 2 years in the middle, and forcefully tanked this year and got fined for it, while making their players look bad in the process.
Spurs sold Derozan, Derrick White, Dejonte Murray (was younger than Makannen BTW and was also on a bargain contract) and Jakob Poeltl (also was younger than Makannen when traded) and bottomed out.
They got great deal for Murray, OK deal for Poeltl, and meh deals for White and Derozan, whatever the best deal they found they went for it.
Markannen had no business being on the Jazz last year, and the year before it also TBH.

[HMFFL]

Ainge mismanaged the rebuild of the Jazz.
He cashed out on Gobert and Mitchell, but dragged it out too long, spent 2 year at pick #10 instead of bottoming out just to not sell at what he perceives as low price.
He now had to max Markannen, sold Sexton dirt cheap and spent the entirety of Walker Kessler cheap years on a rebuilding team that didn't succeed in landing any worthy cornerstone.
Just another example of teams squandering valuable years in no mans land...

I'm fine with Lauri's contract—I don't much care about his trade value if the intent is to keep him—but there's little argument with everything else you said. As bad as their decision making has been the past three years, this offseason has reached its nadir.

It's funny how much luck plays into this though. Everyone lauds the Spurs rebuild and rightly so, but if they had the Wizards or Pistons recent luck in the lottery instead of their extremely good fortune these last three years (not to mention 1997 and 1987) we might think of them in perpetual no man's land as well.

Lauri Markkanen has value in different ways so being content with his contract is fine. He fills a major payroll hole for the team. His value will be what it is once the time is right to move him.

[SkyHook]

Ainge mismanaged the rebuild of the Jazz.
He cashed out on Gobert and Mitchell, but dragged it out too long, spent 2 year at pick #10 instead of bottoming out just to not sell at what he perceives as low price.
He now had to max Markannen, sold Sexton dirt cheap and spent the entirety of Walker Kessler cheap years on a rebuilding team that didn't succeed in landing any worthy cornerstone.
Just another example of teams squandering valuable years in no mans land...

I'm fine with Lauri's contract—I don't much care about his trade value if the intent is to keep him—but there's little argument with everything else you said. As bad as their decision making has been the past three years, this offseason has reached its nadir.

It's funny how much luck plays into this though. Everyone lauds the Spurs rebuild and rightly so, but if they had the Wizards or Pistons recent luck in the lottery instead of their extremely good fortune these last three years (not to mention 1997 and 1987) we might think of them in perpetual no man's land as well.

Teams make their own luck, Jazz spent 2 years in the middle, and forcefully tanked this year and got fined for it, while making their players look bad in the process.
Spurs sold Derozan, Derrick White, Dejonte Murray (was younger than Makannen BTW and was also on a bargain contract) and Jakob Poeltl (also was younger than Makannen when traded) and bottomed out.
They got great deal for Murray, OK deal for Poeltl, and meh deals for White and Derozan, whatever the best deal they found they went for it.
Markannen had no business being on the Jazz last year, and the year before it also TBH.

I'm offering no argument against the fact that the Jazz have mismanaged the tear down and rebuild, they have, but I disagree with the "make your own luck" philosophy when it comes to lottery odds. (Unless you've got David Stern in your pocket with a frozen/bent card.) If the Spurs had the Jazz lottery luck, they wouldn't have Wemby, Castle, or Harper. That's all I'm saying.


Spurs / Jazz last three years post-lottery jumps vs their respective most likely pre-lottery positions:

Spurs
2025 — 6 (8 to 2)
2024 — 3 (7 to 4)
2023 — 5 (6 to 1)

Jazz
2025 — 0 (5 to 5)
2024 — 0 (8 to 8) -2 (8 to 10)
2023 — 0 (9 to 9)

[Fantastik_Goat]

He’s tall Zach Lavine

[Mavrelous]

I'm fine with Lauri's contract—I don't much care about his trade value if the intent is to keep him—but there's little argument with everything else you said. As bad as their decision making has been the past three years, this offseason has reached its nadir.

It's funny how much luck plays into this though. Everyone lauds the Spurs rebuild and rightly so, but if they had the Wizards or Pistons recent luck in the lottery instead of their extremely good fortune these last three years (not to mention 1997 and 1987) we might think of them in perpetual no man's land as well.

Teams make their own luck, Jazz spent 2 years in the middle, and forcefully tanked this year and got fined for it, while making their players look bad in the process.
Spurs sold Derozan, Derrick White, Dejonte Murray (was younger than Makannen BTW and was also on a bargain contract) and Jakob Poeltl (also was younger than Makannen when traded) and bottomed out.
They got great deal for Murray, OK deal for Poeltl, and meh deals for White and Derozan, whatever the best deal they found they went for it.
Markannen had no business being on the Jazz last year, and the year before it also TBH.

I'm offering no argument against the fact that the Jazz have mismanaged the tear down and rebuild, they have, but I disagree with the "make your own luck" philosophy when it comes to lottery odds. (Unless you've got David Stern in your pocket with a frozen/bent card.) If the Spurs had the Jazz lottery luck, they wouldn't have Wemby, Castle, or Harper. That's all I'm saying.


Spurs / Jazz last three years post-lottery jumps vs their respective most likely pre-lottery positions:

Spurs
2025 — 6 (8 to 2)
2024 — 3 (7 to 4)
2023 — 5 (6 to 1)

Jazz
2025 — 0 (5 to 5)
2024 — 0 (8 to 8)
2023 — 0 (9 to 9)

I don't understand your ranking...
Spurs were 2nd in 23, they had as good a chance as anyone....
Spurs had the 5th worst record in 24, not 7th, theu jumped up 1 spot.
Jazz were 1st in 25, but didn't win it and dropped to 5.
Yes the Spurs got lucky with Harper, but they already had great rebuild before him, and they did it the right way.
What the Jazz did last 3 years was idiotic, they gave themselves low chance the 1st 2 years, and wanted to keep their cake and eat it last year, they lost the cake and didn't eat.

[GrindCityHustle]

Might as well keep him. He might be useful when they eventually get good. He seems to like being there.

Really they fumbled more on their bad drafts and other questionable trades

[Capn'O]

Hinkie really did change the playing field. There's this perception that bad teams can't retain good players and it's weird. They kind of always have. Not everyone far from the top can race for the bottom.

[John Murdoch]

They literally have nothing to show for this 5yr tankjob ...Kirilenko and Sloan rollin in their graves

[SkyHook]

Teams make their own luck, Jazz spent 2 years in the middle, and forcefully tanked this year and got fined for it, while making their players look bad in the process.
Spurs sold Derozan, Derrick White, Dejonte Murray (was younger than Makannen BTW and was also on a bargain contract) and Jakob Poeltl (also was younger than Makannen when traded) and bottomed out.
They got great deal for Murray, OK deal for Poeltl, and meh deals for White and Derozan, whatever the best deal they found they went for it.
Markannen had no business being on the Jazz last year, and the year before it also TBH.

I'm offering no argument against the fact that the Jazz have mismanaged the tear down and rebuild, they have, but I disagree with the "make your own luck" philosophy when it comes to lottery odds. (Unless you've got David Stern in your pocket with a frozen/bent card.) If the Spurs had the Jazz lottery luck, they wouldn't have Wemby, Castle, or Harper. That's all I'm saying.


Spurs / Jazz last three years post-lottery jumps vs their respective most likely pre-lottery positions:

Spurs
2025 — 6 (8 to 2)
2024 — 3 (7 to 4)
2023 — 5 (6 to 1)

Jazz
2025 — 0 (5 to 5)
2024 — 0 (8 to 8)
2023 — 0 (9 to 9)

I don't understand your ranking...
Spurs were 2nd in 23, they had as good a chance as anyone....
Spurs had the 5th worst record in 24, not 7th, theu jumped up 1 spot.
Jazz were 1st in 25, but didn't win it and dropped to 5.
Yes the Spurs got lucky with Harper, but they already had great rebuild before him, and they did it the right way.
What the Jazz did last 3 years was idiotic, they gave themselves low chance the 1st 2 years, and wanted to keep their cake and eat it last year, they lost the cake and didn't eat.

I think it makes more sense to look at it from their respective most likely pre-lottery positions; if you don't see it that way it's fine. Yes, the Jazz were "1st" this year but with equal chances at the top pick as 2, 3, and 4. Their highest probability draft slot was #5.

https://tankathon.com/pick_odds

[Gert42]

The Jazz also didn't go 8 to 8 in '24, they dropped down to #10, basically the same chance to move from #8 to #1 as there was from #8 to #10.

"Doing it the right way" is so subjective and based on how you want to frame an argument. The Jazz starting 12-6 in 2023 is probably something Ainge should be criticized for, but short of (maybe) making better draft picks, I don't think the Jazz have screwed it up too much, better lottery combinations and things look a lot different.

[SkyHook]

The Jazz also didn't go 8 to 8 in '24, they dropped down to #10, basically the same chance to move from #8 to #1 as there was from #8 to #10.

"Doing it the right way" is so subjective and based on how you want to frame an argument. The Jazz starting 12-6 in 2023 is probably something Ainge should be criticized for, but short of (maybe) making better draft picks, I don't think the Jazz have screwed it up too much, better lottery combinations and things look a lot different.

You're right, I botched that.