Why The Utah Jazz Do The Deal 

Some Jazz fans may not love this return. They’ll reason that Markkanen’s play thus far should fetch them a pair of first-round picks. 

Fair. At the same time, there’s plenty of noise in early season stats. The Jazz are probably playing above their heads, and Markkanen may be as well. Rival front offices will account for that possibility in evaluating him as a target. 

The Suns’ 2026 first-rounder is still a valuable asset for this team. In fact, we intentionally chose a distantly conveying pick. The Jazz are making the Suns better here, so they shouldn’t want next year’s selection. At the same time, the Suns could easily be in the lottery by the time this selection lands in Utah. 

After all, Chris Paul is 38. Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton is widely regarded to be potentially unhappy with the organization.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz & Phoenix Suns Updates

The Suns may implode, and if they do, this pick could pay huge dividends for the Jazz. 

Can the Suns afford to take that risk?