The Golden State Warriors have tried and failed to make major upgrades to their roster thus far after missing the playoffs last season. They previously tried to land star Paul George, only for a potential deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to fall apart and see him sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
All indications are Lauri Markkanen won’t sign any extension with Utah until after the day he becomes eligible to re-up with the Jazz tomorrow, league sources told @YahooSports, ruling the talented 27-year-old off the trade market for the 2024-25 season: https://t.co/VqfxRC1ehu
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) August 5, 2024
Now comes word from Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer that Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will likely re-sign but not on August 6th, when he becomes extension-eligible, for a specific reason. If he were to sign on August 6th, he would be eligible to be traded in six months, on the day of the NBA trade deadline.
Waiting even a day would make him ineligible to be traded during the 2024–25 season. That would take him off the board for the Warriors, who were seen as being the team most likely to trade for him. With Markkanen no longer able to be acquired by Golden State, they may opt to head into next season as is.
Do the Golden State Warriors have any other trade options?
The next best trade option that is potentially available would be New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram. While he may be easier to acquire than Markkanen, he would still cost the Warriors valuable assets, and then there is the problem with his next contract.
Teams seem unwilling to pay him since he could command at least $30 million a year but he may not be a first or second option on a great team. The Warriors may be among those teams with Steph Curry on a max contract, Draymond Green making at least $25 million annually and them having to extend Jonathan Kuminga, presumably for around $30 million a year.
As a result, Golden State may instead see how Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski play in bigger roles next season and how newcomers such as De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield look. That may not make them much better than they were last season but it does leave their options open in case one of their young players takes a big step or another star becomes available.