3 teams who should pursue a trade for Lauri Markkanen

Toronto Raptors

While he has only played in 17 games this year due to a shoulder injury, Lauri Markkanen is a highly skilled, young frontcourt player that could bring perimeter shooting and rebounding to the Toronto Raptors.

The former 7th overall pick has been a really consistent big man early on in his career and in his limited time this year, he is averaging 19.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 41.7% from three-point range. Standing just about 7’0”, Lauri Markkanen is the perfect player for the Raptors to add ahead of the trade deadline and make another run at the NBA Finals in the Eastern Conference.

While he would likely cost the Raptors a future first-round pick and a solid role player, Markkanen brings a lot of value with him to Toronto and would fit in quite nicely due to his ability to play virtually anywhere on offense. Whether it is in the low-post or beyond-the-arc, Lauri Markkanen is a proven scorer that is continuing to get better.

With the Raptors, Lauri Markkanen would likely see about 30 minutes per game and would average upwards of 14 points per game, which is exactly the type of production ths organization needs from another frontcourt player.

With VanVleet and Lowry being the focal points of the Raptors’ backcourt and with Pascal Siakam being a 20+ point per game type of forward, this team just needs more consistent options around their core, which is exactly the type of player Lauri Markkanen is.

Without Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol this year, there has been a void in the Raptors’ frontcourt that they have been trying to fix since the beginning of the year. This is why adding Lauri Markkanen would be a huge move by the Raptors.

Not only could he fill this void for them in their rotations, but he could help make them a better rebounding team, as they currently sit last in the league in rebounding. If the Raptors are to make another deep postseason run, they will have to make a big move to bolster their frontcourt ahead of the trade deadline.

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Brett Siegel

Brett Siegel joined NBA Analysis Network as an NBA Insider and Journalist in 2020 after previously working with Louisville Basketball and FanSided covering the NBA. He was a member of our staff until April 2022.

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