Warriors News: Insider Reveals Front Office’s Hesitance To Complete Lauri Markkanen Trade As Love For 21 Year Old Star Sees No End

The Lauri Markkanen trade is facing setbacks as the deadline for him to re-sign with the Utah Jazz approaches. If the Warriors do not complete the trade by August 5, he will be off the table for Joe Lacob. Reportedly, the main reason behind the deadlock is that the Jazz “are more focused on Brandin Podziemski.” The shooting guard has established himself as a creative player inside the arc with his astonishing floaters. Having such a unique player on board is a luxury, and it seems from the latest Warriors developments that they do not want to let go since they want active players around Stephen Curry.

According to the latest report from The Athletic insider Anthony Slater on the Willard and Dibs podcast, “They don’t want to trade [Podziemski]. He’s beloved organizationally. They think he has like winning qualities and one of the rare aspects to him, compared to the Warriors’ other recent picks, is not only obviously does front office love the talent and draft him and want him to play but Steve Kerr couldn’t keep him off the floor as a rookie!”

“I mean Steve Kerr’s putting him in his best lineups last year his plus minus is great he’s raving about him,” Slater explained. Notably, the Dubs signed Podziemski a year ago to a 4-year contract worth $16 million. So far, they are impressed with his 9.2 points and 5.8 assists per game. His rebounding ability is also a valuable asset that is hard to find.

Brandin Podziemski made it to the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie First Team, making him the 19th player from his franchise to be awarded such an honor. Apart from it, Lacob is also drawing conclusions from coach Steve Kerr’s praise for Podz in May this year when he said, “He showed he could compete at both ends and made pretty much every lineup he was with better because he’s only going to get better and better.” The 19th pick from the 2023 NBA draft paced an astounding 427 rebounds last season, just second to Joe Smith’s 717 rebounds from the 1995-96 season as a Warriors rookie.

Warriors News: With Podz Update, Lauri Markkanen’s trade might already be over!

Danny Ainge usually demands more from the teams than he gives back in trades. Having a young asset like Podz will help the Jazz roster accomplish things at a much lesser cost than Markkanen. The latter signed a max contract worth $67 million for four years in 2021. With a younger player like Podz, Ainge intended to help his team win and secure the team’s future for a few more years. But if he does not get Brandin, considering Kuminga was always out, Danny will not hesitate to walk away from the trade exchange with GSW.

The Jazz wanted to get a player like Brandin, who could play on both ends and then nurture him for a few seasons. However, the Warriors are reportedly keen to hold back their prodigy to play alongside Steph and continue the dynasty. The past record of the Jazz hasn’t been great, they finished 12th in the Western Conference and haven’t moved past the regular season for the past two years.

On top of that, they are tanking with max contracts. All of this is expected to make the headlines; but if the Warriors let go of Markkanen or Kuminga or both, it’ll be a huge void to fill, considering the rest of their aging core. So, what does either side do?

Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonard Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our ES Fancast!