Lauri Markkanen After 17-65 Season: ‘I Love Being In Utah’
Apr 14, 2025, 10:43 AM | Updated: 11:41 am
Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – With the 2025 offseason underway, eyes across the NBA are watching the Utah Jazz, monitoring their plans for forward Lauri Markkanen.
The team had offers to trade the All-Star last summer, but opted to renegotiate and extend the seven-foot sharp-shooter’s contract to the tune of four years and $196 million.
Related: Markkanen Signs Extension With Jazz
Markkanen Loves Playing For Jazz
Barring significant improvement from the youth on the roster, a breakout performance from an incoming rookie, or a radical trade, the Jazz are unlikely to be a playoff contender in the West next season.
Markkanen, who will be entering his ninth season in the league in October, has yet to play in a playoff game, and could find himself once again on a roster that prioritizes youth development and a high draft pick over a run at the postseason.
How does the soon-to-be 28-year-old feel about playing another season with the Jazz on a young roster?
“I feel like what I did last summer with signing here, that kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have,” Markkanen said. “I love being in Utah.”
feelin’ lucky???
wait for it 😏☘️😉 pic.twitter.com/ZIeVHvSmsJ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 18, 2025
Markkanen’s decision to sign in allows the Jazz to control the Finnish big man throughout his prime, should they choose to keep in Utah, or shop him once again this summer.
“[You] like to have the partnership of understanding what’s going on, while also being able to coach him” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said of Markkanen’s role in team building. “He doesn’t have anything to do necessarily with our decisions as a group, other than him expressing confidence in us to build the team.”
The Jazz were unable to field offers for Markkanen at this year’s trade deadline due to the timing of his contract extension last August, a welcome relief for the forward who has already been traded twice in his career.
“As of right now, today, I’m here, and that’s how we’re living, and if something changes, then we adjust,” Markkanen admitted. “I’m ready for it, but it was nice to have a year off.”
Markkanen Coming Off Down Season
After being named to the All-Star team in 2023, and putting up All-Star worthy numbers in 2024, Markkanen’s numbers were down across the board this season.
The forward saw a dip in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage.
Markkanen also saw a drop in minutes per game as the team put greater emphasis on the younger players on the roster.
“Some days the shots are just not falling and stuff, so I wouldn’t be too worried about it,” Markkanen said. “I think we had a lot of different lineups — a lot goes into it. Obviously, [I’ve] got to watch the film and try to be better next year individually, but I think it’s a sum of a lot of things.”
Lauri Markkanen finishes his third season with the @utahjazz averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting just 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three.#takenote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 13, 2025
Another setback for Markkenen was a slew of nagging injuries that plagued him throughout the season. Between knee and shoulder injuries, and the Jazz’s focus on improving their draft stock, the forward was in and out of the lineup for much of the year.
Related: Jazz Fined $100,000 For Resting Markkanen
The forward plans to take time to rest his body before playing with the Finnish National Team during EuroBasket ahead of the 2025-26 NBA campaign.
“Those are the years I’ve always felt the best, physically and mentally, to be honest,” Markkanen said. “You’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts, so that gets me excited for the summer.”
Markkanen last played for Team Finland in 2023 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers, averaging 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in three appearances.
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Ben Anderson is the 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.
