Just over 12 months ago Lauri Markkanen was all the rage as a prominent trade target for the Golden State Warriors, only to eventually renegotiate and extend his contract with the Utah Jazz.
More on-court pain for the Jazz has again risen speculation of a Markkanen trade, except his own underwhelming form last season and the new four-year, near $200 million deal has greatly decreased his value and made it difficult to match salaries.
Utah may have thought they would have to wait until next season for Markkanen to rebuild some value before a potential trade, but that's happened sooner thanks to some incredible performances for Finland at the ongoing EuroBasket.