Utah
Franchise Altering Jazz-Nuggets Trade Suggested by Bleacher Report
Another day and another blockbuster-type trade, as suggested by the media. This one comes from The Bleacher Report, which suggests an exchange with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz involving Michael Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.
Denver Nuggets Receive: Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz Receive: Michael Porter Jr., the No. 28 pick in 2024, first-round swaps in 2026, 2028 and 2030; second-round picks in 2025, 2026 and 2029
“Markkanen is effectively a better version of Porter, but he’s also about to get more expensive. Porter is on the hook for $35.9 million, $38.3 million and $40.8 million over the next three seasons, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Markkanen’s next deal start at a rate above the one in the last year of Porter’s current contract. Injury concerns are inescapable with MPJ, but he’s over a year younger than the Finn and logged 143 games (plus another 33 in the playoffs) across the last two seasons. Markkanen only appeared in 111 contests during that span.”
Due to Markkanen’s re-signing with the Jazz being unclear, this trade makes some sense. The Jazz would be getting the short end of the stick regarding the players being moved, but would be receiving some future draft capital to make up the difference.
Also, the Jazz would have club control of Porter Jr. for three years in a contract that would cost less than what it would take to re-sign Markkanen. However, the deal does pose some red flags for the Jazz.
The draft capital received in the exchange from a franchise that will be contending for a title may not amount to much. Utah already has 16 first-rounders through the year 2030, of which eight are coming from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers trades involving Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
This is developing into a problem for Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and his ability to use these selections in a trade. At some point, some of these picks will need to be moved, and if we’re being honest, those eight picks are not projected to be in the lottery. Perception is reality, and Ainge going ‘Big Game Hunting’ may be inhibited by where things stand today. Trading with Denver would add to the list of projected late first-rounders going to Utah.
Another concern would be bringing over a player from a title contender to a team that’s in the midst of a rebuild. I think it’s safe to say that Porter Jr. wouldn’t be happy about the trade, and taking on a player who would rather be somewhere else may not bode well for the locker room. However, if that was the case, Potter could be parlayed into another exchange. Potter’s current contract isn’t team-friendly, but it’s fair, considering his age and production on the court.
The best-case scenario for Utah is to still sign Markkanen to an extension. Securing an All-Star for five years in his prime for a small market franchise would be a win. Ainge has hinted that an extension is in Utah’s best interest, but it’s still not a guarantee
So, what’s going to happen with Markkanen? He’ll certainly be moved if the two parties can’t agree to an extension. Still, the odds are that he will re-sign, but until that happens, we can expect more hypothetical trades moving forward.
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Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
Utah
Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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