After officially saying goodbye to Klay Thompson after an incredible run alongside his Splash Brother Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors have shifted gears in order to get to work on keeping the team they have right now relevant heading into the future, with target number one arguably the most in-demand player in the NBA right now: Lauri Markkanen.
On paper, his addition to the team makes sense, right? Markkanen is a big, long shooter at the four spot who could unofficially join the Splash Brothers ranks, if Curry is taking applications, thanks to his 39.5 shooting percentage from deep as a member of the Utah Jazz. Markkanen has a very high basketball IQ, a three-level game, and, after being largely miscast as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers as a 7-foot-small forward, has become a 24.5 points-per-game scorer as the Jazz’s power forward. Slot his game in next to Draymond Green and watch the Warriors remain relevant during the final years of their core’s prime, all the while having a 27-year-old star they can build around heading into the future.
The only problem? The Jazz want a Mikal Bridges-level trade package for the Finnish sharpshooter…