On the latest Zach Lowe podcast, he talked about some of the players he thinks will be main characters come free agency, and he mentioned Lauri Markkanen as one of them. You can listen to the time-stamped section [**here**](https://youtu.be/WytdZw7GHE0?si=XWzeOlFiWy8Wh2D9&t=608).
In that clip, Lowe asks Does Lauri Markkanen really want to live through another year of losing?
It’s a good question because Utah has some real decisions to make this season. The thing looming over the team once again is that they only keep their first-round pick next year if it’s in the bottom eight of the lottery. The Jazz want to play to win games, but they also want that pick. It was a tough season internally for Utah, as they had to manipulate lineups to lose by all accounts last season. If Utah sets the roster up a certain way, they won’t have to manipulate things and can play to win games anyway.
Lowe mentions that Lauri needs to play his trade value back up and it’s a good point. Lauri Markkanen, whose best skill is three-point shooting, shot 34% from three last season. That’s not going to cut it if you want a good trade. However, that’s the issue: Utah will be walking a lot of tightropes if they don’t take action. Juggling play time for Ace Bailey, keeping their top-8 pick, and showcasing Lauri Markkanen ... it’s a lot.
Lowe ends by saying, “I don’t know if Lauri Markkanen is on the Jazz in a year, we’ll see.”
We’ll see indeed, if Utah gets a good offer for Markkanen, they should take it. His contract is too large, and he doesn’t fit the goals of the upcoming season. And what we’ve heard with the new front office change and Austin Ainge, the players that he has brought on and are untouchable are Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., everyone else could be had.