Latest news with #Markkanen
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jazz 'Dream Trade Target' Lays Blueprint for Deal with Spurs
Jazz 'Dream Trade Target' Lays Blueprint for Deal with Spurs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The San Antonio Spurs are expected to make a massive move this NBA offseason, although the "shock factor" remains to be seen. Drafting Dylan Harper second overall would certainly be a big move, although, at this point, it is to be expected. Advertisement Still, the Spurs could make a blockbuster trade, either for Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, to bolster their title hopes around Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs could pivot, and both Cam Johnson and Lauri Markkanen seem like viable targets. While the Utah Jazz would love to get their hands on the second overall pick, the Spurs might have a player they would covet just as much. "Sochan lost his starting job in San Antonio this past season," pointed out Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz. "Both could use a fresh start on a team in need of their scoring, defense, and passing." Jeremy Sochan was listed third on the Jazz's dream trade targets, and the Spurs could flip him in a deal for Markkanen, although it would cost a lot more than just the Polish forward. Advertisement The Spurs could, in theory, trade Sochan, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, and the 14th overall pick to the Jazz for Markkanen, giving them a lineup of Wembanyama, Markkanen, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell, with Harper and Julian Champagnie coming off the bench. The Spurs would have enough money left over to pursue free agent center Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, or even Naz Reid. While the Silver and Black are most likely going to hold pat and build organically this offseason, the team has no shortage of options. Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Advertisement Related: Victor Wembanyama Reacts to San Antonio Spurs Unique News Related: Former Spurs Player Delivers Definitive Verdict on 2013 NBA Finals Loss This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mock Trade Allows Spurs to Save Money on Giannis, Land Different All-Star
The San Antonio Spurs, after landing the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, are the frontrunners to land Giannis Antetokounmpo should the Milwaukee Bucks make him available. However, by the time his contract is up, he will be eligible for a supermax extension, and if the Spurs mortgage their future to add him, they are guaranteed to extend him. That would mean that the Spurs would have 90 percent of the salary cap tied up in Giannis, De'Aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama, slashing any depth for at least the next five seasons. Advertisement In a loaded Western Conference, a deep bench might be worth more than a superstar, although the idea of adding win-now talent is tantalizing. Instead of breaking the bank for Antetokounmpo, the Spurs could instead trade for a familiar face on a cheaper deal and keep a pick in 2025 to build around. Full Mock Trade Details Spurs receive: Lauri Markkanen, fifth overall pick in 2025 Jazz receive: Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Malaki Branham, second and 14th overall picks in 2025, 2029 first-round pick With the deal, the Utah Jazz get a franchise rookie to build around with the second pick and can snag a solid youngster at the tail end of the lottery. The Spurs, meanwhile, round out their starting lineup of Wembanyama, Fox, Markkanen, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell, and add a rookie alongside Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie to keep the bench unit afloat. Advertisement There is a chance the Spurs wouldn't even have to add the selection in 2029 for the Jazz to say yes, since by adding Markkanen to the roster, their own draft picks will suddenly lose value, and Utah might not emphasize the 27th (or later) overall selection. Markkanen was linked to the Spurs all last summer before signing an extension with the Jazz, but after Utah missed out on a top pick, his future in Salt Lake City looks bleak. While Antetokounmpo is certainly a better player, the Phoenix Suns are not the model the Spurs want to follow, and adding a star (not a superstar!) while maintaining some depth could be the better long-term play. Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Advertisement Related: San Antonio Spurs Rise Up in NBA Draft Lottery, Will Pick Anyone But Cooper Flagg Related: San Antonio Spurs Are At the Center of the Next Great NBA Rivalry
Newsweek
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Massive Trade Proposal Has Pistons Land Perfect Co-Star For Cade Cunningham
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Detroit Pistons were one of the biggest surprises from this NBA season as they earned a postseason spot. Despite Detroit being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for multiple years, the team seemed to put things together this year. More NBA news: Predicting Warriors-Rockets Game 7 Outcome The Piston fell short of winning a playoff series, losing in six games to the New York Knicks. But Detroit showed a lot of fight in the matchup, giving New York allthey could handle. Now entering the offseason, the goal for the Pistons is simple. Detroit needs to co tinue building around star guard Cade Cunningham, which could see them potentially make a splash time of move this summer. In a new trade scenario by Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World, the Pistons find the perfect co-star for Cunningham. The deal would involve the Utah Jazz, landing star center Lauri Markkanen in Detroit. Here is how the deal would look: Detroit Pistons Receive: Lauri Markkanen Utah Jazz Receive: Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, 2025 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick (top-5 protected) "At 7 feet tall, Markkanen would give Cade Cunningham the perfect stretch-big partner because he can space the floor, attack mismatches, and score at all three levels. For a Pistons team that often struggled with floor spacing around Cade, adding Markkanen would open up driving lanes and allow Cunningham to fully leverage his playmaking gifts. This pairing would scream modern NBA offense." MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2024 in... MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. More Photo byPutting Markkanen into the Detroit offense could help unlock a entirely new version of this team. His ability to space the floor would allow the Pistons to spread the ball around more, opening things up against defenses. More NBA news: Former NBA Superstar Carmelo Anthony Taking on New Broadcasting Role Markkanen would also force opponents to think twice about double-teaming Cunningham, freeing him up a little. The veteran averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game for the Jazz. Markkanen dealt with some injuries this past year that limited him to just 47 games for Utah. But in the time that he did get on the court, he was very effective. Detroit could use a player like Markkanen if they want to take that next step toward true title contention. This will be a massive offseason for the Pistons, and the front office has a lot of work to do moving forward. More NBA news: Former Bulls Champion Begs Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen to End Rift Nuggets' Russell Westbrook Shares Surprising Accountability After Game 7 Jimmy Butler All But Guarantees Warriors Will Win Game 7 vs Rockets For more NBA news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis turning heads around the NBA: ‘He has a huge upside'
SALT LAKE CITY — In the first meeting between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz in early November, Matas Buzelis barely saw the floor. The Bulls rookie logged only four minutes in a nine-point home loss. Chicago's season was only seven games into an 82-game grind, and there was no mistaking the rail-thin Buzelis as being ready to battle seasoned pros. Advertisement Fast forward four months, and Buzelis is closing his debut season by showing how far he's come. He made his 17th straight start in the Bulls' 111-97 road win over the Jazz on Monday, scoring 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 30 minutes. 'He's good,' Jazz star and former Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen told The Athletic. 'He didn't back down. That's always good to see.' Markkanen, who played his first four seasons with the Bulls, missed the November meeting between the teams because of back spasms. But after sharing the floor with Buzelis for the first time, Markkanen became the latest star to endorse Buzelis' potential, joining Kevin Durant and the retired Carmelo Anthony. 'As a rookie, you've always got some work that you can do,' Markkanen said. 'But I think he's got the skill and the toughness and, obviously, the athleticism, as we've seen. I think he has a huge upside. And what I've heard from talking to his teammates, (Nikola Vučević) and those guys, is that he's a hard worker and a great kid. I think he's going to be good.' Automatic.#seered | @BuzelisMatas — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 18, 2025 The Bulls are now winners of five of their last six games and currently sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They believe Buzelis will gradually improve similarly to the way Markkanen did before he blossomed into an All-Star for the Jazz in 2022-23, his sixth season. 'I think there's no secret to it,' Markkanen agreed. 'It's just sticking with it, putting the work in and keeping his mind right, which it seems he has the ability to do, being a smart kid. I'll look forward to our matchups.' Bulls coach Billy Donovan overlapped with Markkanen for one season in Chicago. If there is one thing Buzelis can learn from the version of Markkanen that Donovan inherited, it would be attention to detail. Advertisement '(Markkanen) was great with game-plan discipline,' Donovan said. 'He was smart; obviously, he could really shoot it. I thought he had a good feel for how to play. With Matas, I think he's got huge upside. I felt like Lauri had huge upside even though he's gone to Cleveland and he's come (to Utah), but I think he's constantly, each year, taken a step. I think Matas can do the exact same thing. I'm not saying they're the exact same players, but I think he can make those kinds of steps.' To get there, however, Donovan said Buzelis must improve his instincts and focus on his awareness and recognition on the court. Donovan said he is 'going to get there because he can figure that out,' but there are some technical things the staff will continue working on with the 6-foot-10 forward. Learning nuances within the game, particularly defensively, is a key to Buzelis unlocking another level. Donovan rattled off a list of basics that may bore the casual fan but are the critical components that foster winning — navigating screens, properly executing switches and recognizing schemes. 'Any really good defensive player or really good positional defender that I've been around sees the action developing before it happens,' Donovan said. 'When you can get to that place, it gives you a huge advantage defensively.' Buzelis is expected to learn by studying film to pick up on opponents' tendencies, both individual and in team concepts. But in Monday's win, Donovan saw growth in the rookie. He battled Markkanen and competed inside against the Jazz. He relentlessly attacked the paint. Four of his seven made field goals were at the rim. Matas delivered.@CHSN__ | @BuzelisMatas — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 18, 2025 On another timely cut, Buzelis was stuffed on a dunk attempt by Jazz center Walker Kessler, the league's leading shot blocker. But Buzelis never backed down throughout the game. 'He attacked the basket a lot better than he did previously against Houston,' Donovan said, referring to Saturday's 117-114 loss to the Rockets where Buzelis finished with only 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. 'I just thought there was too much trying to extend and flip shots up (Saturday), and I thought (Monday), he went to the backboard to go finish.' Advertisement In recent days, Donovan noted how Buzelis has played lethargically in moments. With Buzelis averaging 26.5 minutes since the All-Star break — compared to 14.8 minutes before the break — Donovan once said Buzelis might be experiencing the proverbial rookie wall. You wouldn't know it by the way Buzelis played Monday. 'It was great to see him respond and step up the way he did,' Donovan said. 'That, to me, said a lot.'
New York Times
17-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Toronto Raptors are losing the NBA's tank race
Wednesday, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $100,000. The penalty was for a violation of the player participation policy, with the Jazz holding out former All-Star Lauri Markkanen in a game against the Washington Wizards earlier in the month. The Jazz could have been dinged for doing the same thing several other times this season. Advertisement Friday, the Jazz (15-53) responded by doing something that was, at once, shameful, audacious and laudable. In their second game since the penalty was announced, the Jazz played Markkanen for 18 minutes and 37 seconds. The Jazz outscored the Toronto Raptors by 10 points when Markkanen was on the floor. All of that time came in the first half. Markkanen sat for the entire second half, which the Raptors won by 10 points, resulting in a 126-118 Toronto win. The Jazz also sat third-year starting centre Walker Kessler for the night, despite not listing him on the injury report. It was all part of their attempt to maximize their NBA Draft odds while, preferably, not incurring more fines. Also of note from the game: Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley played nine minutes in the second half. The Raptors won that stretch by 15 points. This is getting gross, as it often does in the NBA at this time of the year. However, from the Raptors' perspective, the situation has been clear for months, arguably since the season's first week, when Barnes and Quickley suffered injuries that cost them time. From a pure wins-and-losses viewpoint, this season was never going to amount to anything meaningful, and securing excellent odds had to be a priority, if not the only priority. Instead, the Raptors (24-44) have not quite sunk to the depths of similarly positioned teams. No, a 'soft tank' was not enough. As other teams search for loophole after loophole to position themselves for May's draft lottery, the Raptors have continually come up short on a nightly basis. That changed Sunday in Portland, where the Raptors lost 105-102 to the Trail Blazers. In a decisive moment, head coach Darko Rajaković called a timeout with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter, to remove starting centre Jakob Poeltl. Portland won the remaining minutes 16-7. Advertisement That was enough to lose against Portland, one of the more admirable and functional lottery-bound teams. For the Raptors, though, this approach will likely put them in the middle of the lottery in May, an undesirable outcome after they finished the first half with the league's fourth-worst record. You can scoff at the concept of needing to lose in order to win, and point your finger at the league — I have — for teams being in the Raptors' position. It stinks for the players and coaches that the league has encouraged teams and their fans to think like this. Before Sunday's game, the Raptors had the third-best defensive rating over the previous two months. That bodes well. Though the Raptors or any other team are free to take issue with that and push to change the rules in future offseasons, there was never any mystery about the assignment this time around. Teams such as the Jazz, Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers have committed to the bit and will be rewarded for it going into the lottery. The Raptors have done so in fits and starts and will be punished. It is understandable and even predictable that the Raptors find themselves here, although that only makes it more frustrating. Before the season, the nature of the team's schedule was clear: tough to start, easy to end. Due to those early injuries, the schedule was even tougher to navigate, resulting in a 2-12 start to the season. When the Raptors got healthier in the middle of the season, they won eight times in 10 games, a run that included wins over good or at least competent teams such as the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, pre-Jimmy Butler Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers. Clearly, the Raptors had higher potential than their early-season record indicated, as well as teams with similar records. This part of the schedule, too, always lingered, with the 76ers' and San Antonio Spurs' collapses making it even easier than initially thought. The Raptors are 4 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls (28-39) for the 10th seed and final Play-In Tournament spot. They don't have the tiebreaker, which necessitates the Raptors winning five more times than the Bulls in the season's final four weeks to pass them. It is doable given the teams' schedules, if unlikely. In that January run, the Raptors showed they had enough talent to be competitive in different NBA settings. The likes of the Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and defanged Brooklyn Nets could not claim the same. When those teams and their relative peers started to undermine themselves to focus on draft odds, a healthy-ish version of the Raptors would be reliably favoured to string together wins against them. After the loss to the Trail Blazers, the Raptors are 7-6 since the All-Star break but 4-2 against teams that will certainly fall short of the Play-In. They have nine such games remaining, including five in a row from March 23-30. The Raptors are seventh in the reverse standings right now, but the Spurs (28-38) will be without Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for the rest of the season. The Trail Blazers (29-39) have a stiff schedule to end the season. Advertisement To be fair to the Raptors, one team has to win these games — a hard-and-fast rule in the NBA — and Toronto has undercut its chances several times. Against Philadelphia last week, the Raptors played one starter, Poeltl, for just 17 minutes. The rest of their rotation that night, along with the team that those players have spent most of this season with: Jared Rhoden (Raptors 905), Colin Castleton (Memphis Hustle and Grizzlies on a two-way contract), Jamison Battle (Raptors two-way contract, converted to a standard deal in February), Jamal Shead (Raptors, 2024 second-round pick), AJ Lawson (Raptors 905), Orlando Robinson (Kings, Raptors) and Garrett Temple (Raptors, rarely used). They won that game by 13. More often than not, though, they have opted for half-measures: alternately resting Poeltl and Quickley; cutting, but not scrapping, the minutes of Barnes and his fellow starters. (Barnes clearly wants to get to the 65-game threshold to have a chance at All-NBA recognition, a complicating factor. Also, like Markkanen, he is a 'star player' under the player participation policy, meaning the Raptors must be careful in handling his floor time to avoid a fine). They have married the minutes of the starters so they can gain maximum chemistry while leaving some less-than-accomplished lineups for the rest of the game. Most notably, they have repeatedly benched their starters down the stretch in close games, as was the case in Portland. 'I wouldn't call it bizarre,' Poeltl told The Athletic last week of the random rest he has been assigned. Before the Raptors, he played for the Spurs, who were also accepting losses at the end of his San Antonio tenure. 'It's a little bit backwards in how you think as an athlete. But I've been a part of it long enough to where I know what's going on. I understand the situation.' The Raptors exist in an ecosystem in which the Jazz can be fined for subverting the rules and, just two days later, find a loophole to essentially say, 'Hey, Mr. Silver, what are you going to do about this?' It isn't compelling for fans or rewarding for players, but it is the reality. Maybe the minutes the Raptors' starters play together now will help them get off to a good start next year. Wherever they land, assuming they don't make the Play-In and advance to the playoffs, the Raptors can certainly still get lucky in the lottery, as they did when they jumped from seventh to fourth in 2021, ultimately taking Barnes. The odds will be against them, but that is true for every team. Advertisement If the Jazz slide from, say, second to fifth in the lottery, their top basketball executives will at least rest easily knowing they did everything they could to secure a top pick. The Raptors' brass won't be able to say the same. When your peers are shameless, ethics are an unaffordable luxury. (Photo of Scottie Barnes: Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)
