Jazz Mailbag: What Happens To Lauri Markkanen After Lottery?

SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag, where this week we look at how falling to five in the lottery could change the team’s perspective on Lauri Markkanen.

Each week, we will send out a prompt on X and BlueSky asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.

Then, we’ll respond in that week’s Jazz mailbag.

Jazz Mailbag: What Happens With Lauri Markkanen Now?

Does the lottery results change the front office view of how Lauri does or does not fit long term?

— Nick T (@NickTesseyman) May 13, 2025

Question: Do the lottery results change the front office’s view of how Lauri Markkanen does or does not fit long term?

Answer: Do you remember the creepy scene in “Dazed and Confused” when Matthew McConaughey famously said, “I get older, they stay the same age?”

While that was a perceived positive for the Wooderson character, it’s become an issue for the Jazz’s timeline this summer.

When the Jazz first acquired Markkanen, he had just turned 25, and it made sense to pair him alongside incoming rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, and whichever three players the team drafted in the summer of 2023.

The Jazz were already beginning to cut it close with the Lauri Markkanen timeline next to the huge group of 23-and-under guys.

Today’s outcome certainly lends itself to making a trade to get older or making a trade to get even younger.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 13, 2025

Though Markkanen was older, he wasn’t so far removed from the youth on the roster that the team was stuck trying to manage two entirely different timelines — one featuring players in their early 20s, and one with players deep into their prime.

Three years later, the Finnish All-Star will turn 28 on May 22, while the Jazz are on the verge of drafting another 19-year-old.

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He’s gotten older; the rest of the team has stayed the same age.

Whether the team is willing to admit it or not, Markkanen, the team’s most valuable trade asset, is on one timeline, while most of the rest of the roster is on another.

Had the Jazz won the top overall pick, perhaps Cooper Flagg’s more NBA-ready game would have made bridging the gap between the team’s youngest players and their elder core of veterans more practical.

.@benshoops breaks down which direction he thinks the @utahjazz should go with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/ng656kpn1n

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 13, 2025

But with another raw prospect heading to the Jazz who will need years to develop before they’re ready to win at a high level, keeping Markkanen in Utah probably doesn’t make sense.

Markkanen is good enough to help a team win now — the Jazz aren’t good enough to let him, and it’s only going to get worse.

The Jazz owe their 2026 first-round selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside of the top eight picks. After finishing with the league’s worst record this season, they’ll likely be back in a similar position next year.

That means another 19-year-old is heading to Utah in the same summer that Markkanen turns 29.

Do The Jazz Have Other Options?

To be clear, the front office doesn’t have to take this approach.

They could package their fifth overall pick with a slew of expiring contracts and young assets to try to add another star this summer, someone who fits more closely with Markkanen’s timeline.

Heck, the Phoenix Suns might give back the picks they acquired from the Jazz last season if it meant unloading Bradley Beal (assuming he waives his no-trade clause).

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But unless the Jazz look to improve the roster to the point where they’re competing for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs next season, they’re better off landing in the lottery, without conveying the pick to Oklahoma City.

The Utah Jazz fell to the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Here’s what it means. 👇https://t.co/u3vGymJv37

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 12, 2025

Make no mistake, Lauri Markknen’s run in Utah has been successful. The team had no idea they were acquiring an All-Star when they got him back in the Donovan Mitchell trade, and likely didn’t think he’d be one of the best trade assets in the NBA three years down the line.

However, barring a significant shift in their approach to team-building, the Jazz have missed their window to compete with Markkanen on the roster, and he’s likely to lose value the longer they keep him.

Want to ask questions in next week’s Jazz mailbag? Give us a follow at @kslsports.

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Ben Anderson is the author of the Jazz Mailbag, a Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports, and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky. 

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