Grade the Trade: Raptors steal All-Star from Warriors in bold blockbuster pitch

Laying out a Lauri Markkanen trade

The Utah Jazz have been stuck in a similar limbo to the one that the Toronto Raptors now face, hovering on the edge of the Play-In Tournament, not good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to land a top pick. The reason they would move on from Markkanen is in part to truly tank and build out a young stable of star power.

That means any trade offer for Markkanen has to be centered around draft capital and prospects, not win-now talent. If they trade Markkanen their plan for at least this season and likely multiple years would be to lose enough games to land that generational star. They aren't interested in a long-term commitment to Jakob Poeltl or RJ Barrett, which means the Raptors can keep such players to build their winning team.

There are a few different constructions that the Toronto Raptors could propose to the Utah Jazz for Lauri Markkanen. The active trade account Fanspo presented one option recently, centering a trade return around Bruce Brown and Gradey Dick. Here is what that deal looks like:

For the Utah Jazz to make this trade, they would need to be low on the Toronto Raptors' ability to win at a high level over the next half-decade, and they would need to be extremely high on Gradey Dick. They don't have another player like the young sharpshooter, and perhaps they see him as an ideal complement to whoever they draft in the next few years.

If they do like Gradey Dick, and are open to renting Bruce Brown to flip at the trade deadline, this deal gives them a recent lottery pick and three future firsts. It doesn't seem like enough for Utah, but it provides a decent return and gives them a lot of future flexibility.

If Utah were to say yes, should the Raptors pull the trigger?