Lauri Markkanen entered the offseason with his trade value cratered considerably after a lackluster third season with the Utah Jazz. He has since flipped the script in EuroBasket, making history in addition to his excellent performances. If his EuroBasket play is what's to come in the NBA, he is sure to drive trade rumors this coming season that could factor into how the season turns out.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps harped on this during today's episode of "The Hoop Collective."
"The bigger NBA story right now is Markkanen. This kid's an interesting prospect, but if Lauri Markkanen's an All-Star caliber player again next season, that could have a lot of ramifications across the board," Bontemps said.