The Lauri Markkanen Extension Takes the Summer’s Last Title-Chase-Swinging Target Off the Board

Getty Images/Ringer illustration Teams still hoping for a get-an-All-Star-quick scheme, like the Warriors, were after the Finnish forward, but Markkanen instead inked a new extension with Utah that will keep him off the trade market until next summer Lauri Markkanen has renegotiated and extended his contract with the Utah Jazz to the tune of five years, $238 million. The money matters, but not as much as the timing. This deal makes Markkanen trade ineligible for six months. His decision to sign it on August 7, a day after he was eligible for a new extension, means he cannot be dealt before the February 6 trade deadline, pulling one of the most attractive, ostensibly attainable players off the market next season and out of free agency next summer. On its face, this makes sense for everyone directly involved. Markkanen won't ever be the best player on a championship contender, but the accommodating nature of his game makes him significantly more valuable than his résumé suggests. He's made only one All-Star team and zero All-NBA teams, and he has yet to log a second in the postseason. Little of that matters. Markkanen, 27, is the ideal complementary star, a 7-foot...