“Walmart Version of [Lauri Markkanen]”: Fans Fume Over Warriors’ Rumored Target Amid Joe Lacob’s Firm Brandin Podziemski Stance

With an intention to tear away crucial assets from Joe Lacob’s Warriors, Danny Ainge is not giving away Lauri Markkanen easily. Resulting in the deadlock between the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors for their most desired quest. But it seems that the hot trade rumor leading the market has taken a back seat as the Dubs reportedly prepare to invest in other talents rather than sticking to the Finnish one. It is expected to be a comeback story, of a player who returned to the court this Summer League with the Boston Celtics after about two and half years. He plays the same position as Lauri Markkanen but not at the same level.

As per the NBA Central’s X post, the Golden State Warriors have shown a “strong interest” in Killian Tillie, the 26-year-old who last played for the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately, Tillie suffered a back injury against the Pacers on March 15, 2022. It was so severe that he missed the last two months of the 2021-22 season. Since the ex-Grizzlies center was not cleared for a return, the Memphis front office waived him in October, later that year.

Tillie only averaged 3.2 points with a 33.7% accuracy from the field during his brief stint with the league. So, he might not be ‘the miraculous addition’ that the Warriors may be anticipating after Klay‘s exit.

However, on the other hand, Joe Lacob is not ready to let go of Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, as the Dubs owner revealed to The Athletic. Both youngsters have been productive and impact players for the Dubs with a promising approach for the future.

However, to the fans this steep drop from Lauri Markkanen to Killian Tille’s numbers does not seem to bode well since they want to witness their Golden Boy Stephen Curry win another Championship in his late prime, whether Lauri Markkanen is on board or not.

Fans simmer with frustration amid Joe Lacob’s adamant stance in Lauri Markkanen trade

First, letting go of prominent players from the roster to rebuild the team and then settling for less than excellence has subjected the Warriors to severe criticism. The Lauri Markkanen trade is on hold since neither Utah nor the Golden State is taking a step back. Rather, Joe Lacob is reportedly going for a player returning from injury and it infuriated a fan as he criticized the sub-standard pursuit of the Warriors’ front office for youngsters, posting on X, “These guys refuse to trade for Lauri so they went for the Walmart version of him.😭” It has been more than 15 days since the rumors of the Dubs’ interest in Markkanen got going in the trade market. Still, in a situation where verdicts change in seconds, giving up on the Finnish star might not be an option.

Since Killian Tillie has not been present in the scene for quite a long time, two and half years or more than 850 days, to be precise, many from the community have forgotten about his existence. That’s why one of them commented, “Who tf is that?” Apparently, Tillie was not a known name when he was doing well either. Rather, he went undrafted, and the Grizzlies signed him for a two-way contract.

Another netizen of the Dubs fanbase was concerned about the future of the Warriors and Stephen Curry as he commented, “We are so cooked.” What he was implying here is that teams have already made their moves to get significant pieces this summer. But the Warriors are yet to land their ‘statement move’ of the season, and Lauri Markkanen seems to be their only hope moving forward. If they don’t let go of Podziemski and/or Kuminga, then players as good as Markkanen on the court won’t be easy to recruit.

Another fan criticized the sinking aspirations of the Warriors front office this offseason. After letting go of Klay Thompson, the Dubs got the privilege of clearing some cap space, motivating them to go for Paul George. However, Lacob could not crack that deal and he moved on to the Finnish star. But the hopes are dimming in this case too. That’s why the fan on X commented, “They went from PG to Lauri Markinnen to “Killian Tillie” 😭”

It was quite disheartening for the Bay Area faithful to suffer losses one after another as they missed the Championship by a long way and then lost Klay Thompson. Later, when they had hopes of top offseason trade candidates, Joe Lacob and Co. could not make them work. And now the Markkanen trade seems to be ongoing without any outcome for weeks.

He and the fanbase wish to get Stephen Curry a Championship before his retirement while preserving Golden State’s future key players. No doubt he won’t get everything and might have to give away a few assets to re-strengthen his incomplete roster.

What do you think?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.