NBA Trade Rumors: $195,868,144 All-Star being shopped by Western Conference team for high price

Heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, the Utah Jazz are reportedly willing to trade Lauri Markkanen, for the right price.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, after passing on an opportunity to send Markkanen to Golden State last summer, the team is now open to trading the 2023 NBA All-Star once again.

In a report shared late Tuesday night, Mannix shared an update with fans, making it clear that Danny Ainge and the Jazz's front office could part ways with Markkanen any time between now and the February NBA trade deadline.

"Lauri Markkanen is the name I hear most frequently. Utah passed on an offer from Golden State for Markkanen in the summer of 2024, believing a stronger market would materialize. It didn’t, and right now there is a belief that the Jazz are very open for business on their 28-year-old ex-All-Star."

Last season, Markkanen's stock took a hit as he played in a career-low 47 games while battling back problems. As a result, his points per game average took a hit, as well as his rebounding and assist averages.

After an impressive EuroBasket 2025 run with Finland, Markkanen is eager to have a bounce back year in the NBA.

The question now is whether he'll still be suiting up for Utah come February.

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Utah Jazz players looking forward to a "big year" - Will it include a Lauri Markkanen trade before the NBA's deadline?

Last season, the Utah Jazz finished with a 31-52 record, ending the year in 12th place in a stacked Western Conference.

This offseason, the team acquired several players via trades, bolstering their roster with veterans like Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, Georges Niang, and Jusuf Nurkic. Additionally, the team drafted Ace Bailey, adding to Utah's young core.

During his media day appearance last week, starting center Walker Kessler spoke about what the Jazz hope will be a big year:

“Everything I’ve seen from the young guys in pickup and conditioning, the weight room, they’ve been working their tails off. So I’m very excited for this year.

"You know, I think it’s going to be a big year for us. And I think that as long as we focus on building good habits and playing with energy and effort, I think it’s going to be a good year.”

Following the report from Chris Mannix, the question now becomes whether the Jazz will find a suitable deal for Markkanen. Coming off a season largely defined by injury, Markkanen's stock may no longer be comparable to what it was last summer.

With Utah's regular season set to tip off on Oct. 22, only time will tell how things play out.