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The Utah Jazz have a Lauri Markkanen question

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The Utah Jazz have a Lauri Markkanen question


If you haven’t read Sarah Todd’s latest article on the state of the Utah Jazz rebuild, get reading! Don’t worry, I’ll wait, just make sure you come back.

Thank you for coming back. Now, there’s some incredible stuff in there, and I may dissect it more in the future, but the first important quote that sticks out to me is this one about what Utah wants to do next year, even if they win the #1 pick this lottery and select Cooper Flagg. Todd writes:

Let’s start with what many view as the best case scenario — the Jazz getting the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 and selecting Cooper Flagg.

A starting lineup that features Flagg, Kessler and Markkanen sounds pretty incredible when thinking about future potential. But is that going to be a starting lineup that would win too many games? That’s a real fear, because the Jazz don’t want to give up their 2026 first-rounder.

AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s No. 1 basketball recruit, is presented at halftime of the BYU and Fresno State game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

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I want to be clear here, the Jazz absolutely want to have another high draft pick in 2026. With players like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer all looking like future stars, there’s good reason for the Jazz to want to lose a lot of games next season.

And they want to.

The only thing that could keep the Jazz from tanking next season would be a wildly huge move, like Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum or another top-tier player becoming available. Though those things are possible (let’s not forget we saw Luka Doncic traded this year), they’re not likely.

If you didn’t know, Utah’s pick next year is top-8 protected. If they fall out of the top-8, it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If that pick doesn’t convey, then it turns into second-round picks, and the saga of the Derrick Favors trade will be over. For me, hearing the Jazz absolutely want another top pick in next year’s draft is music to my ears. Utah is not even close to contending and the worst thing they can do is to jump the gun with just one pick. They are missing top-end talent, and the draft is the ONLY way for them to get that.

And barring a star player like Booker or Tatum from becoming available, as Todd says, they will plan on being bad again. So, how does that fit with Lauri Markkanen during this continued teardown? Todd writes:

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So, then we look at what happens if the Jazz get Flagg but are too good to tank. The Jazz would obviously try to injury report their way into losses again, but keeping Flagg might require trading Markkanen or Kessler, and the Jazz already know that there is a market for both players and that teams will be willing to pay a pretty good price.

I’m not saying that the Jazz are definitely looking to trade either one of those guys. But it wouldn’t shock me if they did should they land Flagg. Of course, if they don’t get Flagg, they can probably massage their way through another tanking season without trading Markkanen or Kessler. Probably.

It certainly sounds like anything is on the table. Personally, if I had to choose between one of those players to move, I’m starting to think that player is Lauri Markkanen for a few reasons. The first is his new contract. Markkanen will be making around $50M in the next four years. Then, when Walker Kessler becomes contract eligible, It’s hard not to see him getting something like Isaiah Hartenstein got with the Oklahoma City Thunder (3 years, about $30M per year). So if Kessler gets something in that range along with Markkanen, that’s $80M tied between just those two. Now, that might work, but that’s going to be difficult for Utah to maneuver as things go along.

It gets even more difficult if the statistical trends we see from Markkanen continue. Markkanen is pretty lucky he’s gotten lost in the sauce in Utah. This season, Markkanen is shooting 42.5% from the field and 34.7% from three. And when you look at his defensive numbers, they’re not great. Whether it’s ESPN’s new net points analytics or Basketball Index’s D-Lebron, Markkanen grades out as a negative defender, sometimes a very negative defender. Not great when you consider he’s making max level money. And considering that we’ve learned that for him to succeed requires other players to set him up, it makes that contract look not great. Other people are starting to take notice, too. The Ringer’s top 100 has Lauri Markkanen at 48, and on Bill Simmons’s latest podcast, he got an honorable mention in their worst contract rankings. Not great.

Knowing that, and that the Utah Jazz do not have a cornerstone player, this offseason comes with a huge question: Should the Utah Jazz trade Lauri Markkanen?

Probably yes.

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized


A Utah mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up.

Shannon Tufuga, 40, was slapped with kidnapping charges Monday after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.

Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged.

Shannon Tufuga allegedly kidnapped her son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up. Facebook

She allegedly hightailed it back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son.

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The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged.

Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home.

The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents.


Tufuga was
Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged. Facebook

Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.”

Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors


The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Toronto Raptors to kick off their new week for their second of two meetings across this season, where the Jazz in particular have ruled out a total of seven names on their injury report.

Here’s what the injury landscape looks like for the Jazz and Raptors rolling into the night:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

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OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

QUESTIONABLE – Cody Williams (shoulder)

It’s much of the same from what the Jazz have been dealing with across the past couple of weeks.

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Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen still remain out with their minor injuries that they’ve suffered past the All-Star break, and Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic remain out for the year with their respective season-ending injuries.

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However, the two names that stick out on this injury report against the Raptors in particular are their two first round picks from the 2024 NBA Draft; Isaiah Collier who’s out with a hamstring injury, while Cody Williams is the latest to be among those listed with a shoulder issue.

For Collier, it’s set to be a third-straight game that he’s been out due to what’s been labeled hamstring soreness, and thus leave the Jazz without both their starting and second-string point guard for the night.

That could lead to either two-way signee Elijah Harkless getting a starting nod for a second straight game following his elevation against the Philadelphia 76ers, or that spot could go to 10-day signing Kennedy Chandler, who played 35 minutes in that same game for a career-high 19 points in his team debut.

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Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As for Williams, he’s been downgraded to questionable for the action due to shoulder soreness; something that could leave him still able to go before tip-off, but remains to be seen based on how he feels before gametime.

The second-year forward has been on a hot streak as of late. In his past five games, he’s averaged an impressive 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 50.0% from the field throughout.

If Williams is out of the mix, it’ll leave their frontcourt a bit more shorthanded from what they’ve been used to across the past couple of weeks, and might lead to even more minutes for guys like 10-day signee Bez Mbeng and two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe to fill those minutes.

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Toronto Raptors Injury Report

OUT – Immanuel Quickley (foot)

OUT – Jakob Poeltl (rest)

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QUESTIONABLE – Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)

When it comes to the Raptors, they’ll be without a couple of guys on their roster, Immanuel Quickley who’s slated to miss out due to a foot injury, while Jakob Poeltl won’t be playing for Toronto’s second leg of a back-to-back following their previous battle against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

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Collin Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, has been upgraded to questionable against the Jazz with an illness after previously being out against the Nuggets over the weekend.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Raptors lands at 9 p.m. MT in the Delta Center, where Toronto will have their chance at a 2-0 series sweep over Utah depending on the results.



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POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth

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POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth


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