The Utah Jazz made their biggest win-now move since, ironically, acquiring Mike Conley Jr. from Memphis in 2019 when they plucked Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis. Among the players happy to see Jackson become a Jazzman is Lauri Markkanen.
The Athletic's Tony Jones reported Markkanen's ecstasy that he gets an All-Star frontcourt teammate.
Have heard from multiple sources that Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is very happy with the Jackson deal
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) February 3, 2026
Markkanen more or less confirmed this himself during a conversation with The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen.
“I mean, we’ve got to put it to work. But I think it’s a really high-potential lineup. He’s obviously a high-level player, Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s shown what he can do on teams,” Markkanen told Larsen. “So I’m really excited.”
Even though this was a given from the moment it was announced, it's comforting to see Markkanen both see the vision with Jackson and approve of it. Everyone knows by now that after his surprise ascension in his first year in Utah, the team hasn't exactly surrounded Markkanen with top-notch talent.
They certainly tried, but when it became clear their best option was to tank, they did, and that's frustrating to a win-now star like Markkanen, wasting away on a rebuilding team. However, Jackson changes everything.
Anyone familiar with his game knows what he does on the court. Jackson can shoot and he can create his own shot, but the Jazz have enough offensive personnel to not demand too much from him.
Jackson isn't the best rebounder and can be a little reckless when it comes to committing fouls. Utah has the personnel to mitigate those problems. This will definitely be an experimental lineup, but Markkanen is absolutely right to be excited for what's to come.
Now the Jazz flipping the switch is no longer hypothetical
Before, the Jazz's long-term plans were exciting, but there was no guarantee that what they would do would work. With Jackson, now everyone can see the vision. They didn't just add an All-Star, but they added someone who fixes so much of their problems.
Add in re-signed Walker Kessler with a clean bill of health, and Utah has a perennial playoff contender on their hands if all goes well. It's safe to say the Jazz haven't really had the best defensive personnel, and they just got one of the best in the league.
Does it change their tank this year? Probably not, and why would they? They are better served by getting a high lottery pick added to this core instead of forking it over to OKC. However, acquiring Jackson is a concrete signal that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.