Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed

Former Cavaliers forward should be begging for a new team this season

Lauri Markkanen has blossomed into a much better player since departing from the Cleveland Cavaliers as a part of the trade that landed Donovan Mitchell. The Utah Jazz have not done anywhere close to enough for the Finnish star to compete for anything of relevance since.

2025-26 will be Markkanen's fourth season with the Jazz. They have not even been involved in the NBA Play-In Tournament since his arrival. That is such a shame considering how good Lauri was for Utah immediately.

Markkanen's first season with the Jazz featured an immediate statistical explosion, averaging 25.6 points and 8.