Report Knicks Mega-Star Sign Contract Deal With Utah Jazz Declining Lakers Offer….

All-Stars might be acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz.

Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks intend to make significant changes this offseason in order to solidify their standing as competitors in their respective Conferences. If both teams can get the Utah Jazz on board, they should be able to work together to make a transaction that improves both of them.

Over the past two seasons, the Jazz have been slowly rebuilding and turning Lauri Markkanen into an All-Star type player. Markkanen’s worth shouldn’t be allowed to decline as the organization tries to decide on its future course. Rather, a three-team trade that includes the Lakers and includes a former All-NBA player might provide them with valuable assets.

This trade enables the Jazz to fully commit to a rebuild and emerge from the stacked 2025 Draft with a pick that might drastically impact their organization, while the Lakers and Knicks can take large chances on Randle and Markkanen, respectively.

The Utah Jazz have traded away their quality players for more assets during the last two seasons, wasting competitive seasons in February. The Lakers and Timberwolves have benefited from it in 2023, as they were able to acquire players through Utah and get to the Western Conference Finals. Moving Markkanen this season could help the organization maximize their return because keeping him around without a defined winning direction will hinder the team’s prospects.

Markkanen averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, so it might seem absurd to lose him in favor of players like Gabe Vincent and Bojan Bogdanovic making a comeback to the team. However, in order to create space for the future, the Jazz also receive two sizable expiring contracts and several selections. With a Markkanen deal opening up minutes for them, they have a wealth of frontcourt players, including Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh, who require minutes for development.