Where Warriors go with Markkanen reportedly set to sign Jazz deal

Where Warriors go with Markkanen reportedly set to sign Jazz deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors are asking themselves the same question after missing out on a star once again this NBA offseason: Now what? And the answer might be, not much.

Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen will not be wearing a Warriors jersey next season, instead staying in Salt Lake City.

Markkanen and the Jazz will reach a colossal contract extension Wednesday or later, making him ineligible to be traded this offseason or during the 2024-25 NBA season, and keeping him off the 2025 free agency market, The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Anthony Slater and Tony Jones reported Tuesday morning, citing sources.

Tuesday marked the first day Markkanen was eligible to renegotiate and extend his current contract. Any player who signs a contract extension cannot be traded for six months. Signing Tuesday would have made Markkanen, who also was on pace to be next summer’s top free agent, available on the final day of next season’s trade deadline.

For the Warriors, they now know Markkanen isn’t even an option until next offseason when he’ll reportedly be under a massive contract through 2029. This comes after failing in their Paul George pursuit in late June before the former Los Angeles Clippers star signed with Philadelphia 76ers. The draft is well in the past, so is free agency and the Warriors’ two biggest targets are no longer options.

That leaves them with little room to swing a team-altering deal before the start of the upcoming season.

The Warriors are huge Brandin Podziemski fans, both for his production and incredibly team-friendly rookie contract. Jonathan Kuminga in most regards made the Year 3 leap they were looking for last season, averaging a 16.1 point per game, and being a consistent 20-point scorer when given bigger opportunities.

Kuminga, 21, currently is rookie contract extension eligible. Franz Wagner, taken by the Orlando Magic one pick after Kuminga in the 2021 draft, signed a five-year, $224 million rookie contract extension in July that could be worth up to $269 million.

Two big names remain on the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-warriors-markkanen-reportedly-set-175543674.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-06 17:55:43

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.