The desire to add Lauri Markkanen appears to still be there for the Golden State Warriors. But the issue of why that hasn’t happened the same remains the same. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Warriors are still not budging on their stance on Brandin Podziemski, a young asset Golden State wants to keep.
The Warriors, as of Sunday, continued to be regarded as the league’s most ardent Markkanen suitor … but at the same time still unwilling to surrender Brandin Podziemski in a trade package for the 7-foot Finn. Golden State, to date, has pursued Markkanen without including Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga in trade packages laden with future draft compensation. Obviously no team, to this point, has met Danny Ainge’s asking price.
If the Warriors successfully add Markkanen, he would be a huge plus for Golden State, to say the least. A big man with a touch from deep could make Golden State’s offense much more lethal than it was a season ago.
Having a stretch five with three-level capabilities on offense to play alongside an aging but still dangerous Stephen Curry is a dream worth pursuing for the Warriors, who finished the 2023-24 NBA regular season sixth in the league with 117.5 points per game and 10th with a 55.6 effective field goal percentage.
Last season, the 27-year-old Markkanen averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting close to 40 percent from deep for the Utah Jazz.
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