According to an NBA executive, the Golden State Warriors may soon abandon their pursuit of Lauri Markkenen in favor of pursuing one of the top big men available via trade.
The Warriors have had a busy offseason. It was inevitable that the lineup would shift after the club failed to advance past the NBA Play-In Tournament, and that happened swiftly when legendary player Klay Thompson signed a free agent contract to play for the Dallas Mavericks.
The squad responded to Thompson’s exit by bringing in veterans Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton. Then word got out that Lauri Markkanen, a star player for the Utah Jazz, would be available and Golden State was one of the teams bidding for his services. Regretfully, the latest developments regarding negotiations indicate that an agreement is very unlikely to be finalized.
This is presumably the reason why, just before the 2024–25 NBA season begins, a new report indicates that the team may soon be in the running for a Jonas Valaciunas trade with rivals the Los Angeles Lakers and Eastern powerhouse the New York Knicks.
An unnamed NBA executive previously told Heavy.com, “[The Lakers] are probably in better shape to get him because they can make it work through a trade.” But since there will be a market, they would have to forfeit their choice. We’ll see how the Knicks’ center position plays out. The Warriors, in case the Markkanen plan fails. Milwaukee, we’ll watch Brook [Lopez] closely.
This summer, Valanciunas became a member of the Washington Wizards through a sign-and-trade. The Wiz reportedly has no desire to keep him around for the long run, though. and hope to get rid of him by the trade deadline, if possible. He might leave in September. Valanciunas has committed to a very advantageous three-year, $30 million contract.
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