NBA Trades: Warriors land star in huge proposed deal with Grizzlies and Jazz

The trade sees the Warriors acquire Markkanen, the Grizzlies acquire Kessler, and the Jazz acquire Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, and a plethora of draft picks. This is the kind of value the Jazz could potentially get for their two players, on top of the picks they already have from the Gobert and Mitchell trades. 

Lauri Markkanen was the centerpiece of the Mitchell trade and he has become an All-Star level player for the Jazz. In 2023, the Finnish forward was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and he was named the NBA’s most improved player while averaging 26 points per game on 49 percent shooting and 39 percent from three-point range.

Markkanen dealt with injuries this past season, but he still averaged 23 PPG on 48 percent shooting and 40 percent from three. He is only 27 years old and is in the prime of his career, so why has his name been mentioned in trade rumors? Well, teams around the league are interested in his services and are willing to pay a pretty penny. 

As for Golden State, they get Steph Curry an all around co-star that perfectly fits their system and Memphis fills a need with a more proven option at center in Kessler, while allowing them to bring rookie center Zach Edey along slowly. With all three teams having a reason to do the deal, would all three accept the proposal as is?