Former Wildcat Lauri Markkanen heads to Utah in blockbuster trade
Entering year six of his NBA career, former Wildcat Lauri Markkanen is on the move to Utah after being involved in a blockbuster trade.
Lauri Markkanen is on the move! After spending just one season in Cleveland this past year, Markkanen will be with yet another new team.
Making news on Thursday afternoon, ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced that the Utah Jazz has traded Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, getting Markkanen, Ochair Agbaji, Collin Sexton, and future picks in the process.
Full trade: Utah is trading Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland for Lauri Markkanen, Ochair Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
Entering his sixth season in the NBA, Markkanen is looking for more of a permanent home after spending just one season with the Cavaliers.
Joining a Jazz franchise that is currently undergoing some significant changes, Markkanen will team up with former Wildcats Jason Terry and Stanley Johnson in Salt Lake City. As you may recall, Terry & Johnson recently joined the team.
Likely to play a huge role with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen has an opportunity to build off his previous success.
A former No. 7 in the 2017 NBA Draft, Lauri some quite a bit of success in Chicago, lasting four seasons with the Bulls appearing in 221 games (195 starts) as he averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 44.0 percent shooting.
This past year in Cleveland, Lauri saw a slight dip in production as he averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 61 games played (61 starts).
Now as he heads to Utah, look for him to also have a sizable role, after all, the Jazz are pretty thin at forward.
Utah will be the third stop that Markkanen has made in his NBA career, and this could be a good spot for him to succeed! Heading into 2022-23, I am sure fans of Arizona Basketball will have some vested interest in following the Jazz this season!
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