Lauri Markkanen Agrees To Long-Term Extension With Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have signed All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen to a five-year, $238 million contract extension, including $220 in new money. The new deal establishes Markkanen as the centerpiece of the Jazz’s long-term future as they look to continue to surround him with talented young players through the draft. 

Markkanen’s name has been a nucleus of many offseason NBA discussions – none of them have had anything to do with what he can do for Utah. Many teams have expressed interest in trade for Markannen, 27, or have been linked to him. His combination of size, shooting, athleticism, and ability to space the floor are all traits heavily sought after by nearly every team in the NBA. At 6-foot-11, Markkanen shot 39.9% from beyond the arc. 

The signing of Markkanen this late into the offseason is significant because his six-month period trade immunity from the Jazz means he cannot be traded before the February 6 deadline. The Jazz will have him for the entire 2024-25 season, meaning teams linked to him in trade circles – Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers – will have to be patient until next offseason or pivot toward different options.

Markkanen will be in Utah in the foreseeable future. General manager Danny Ainge and head coach Will Hardy have their guy. 

Playing The Right Notes – How To Bet On The Jazz

Now that the Jazz have their infrastructure in place, betting on them is a much simpler task. 

The Jazz’s win total line on FanDuel is currently set at 27.5 wins. The over is a pretty safe bet there.

The Jazz won 31 games last season, and it’s difficult to cogently construct any sort of reason why they would have gotten worse during the offseason. Those 51 losses came about with some likely statistically unrepeatable lows. After starting 21-20 at the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, Utah closed a rougher back half of the season on a 12-game losing streak to drop from 29-38 to 29-50, pushing them out of the NBA play-in tournament. 

That kind of skid shouldn’t repeat itself after an incredibly successful offseason for Ainge. 

Utah had arguably the most complete and immediately impactful draft in the NBA, adding Colorado forward Cody Williams at pick ten, USC guard Isaiah Collier at pick 29, and Duke center Kyle Fililpowski at pick 32. 

Williams fills Utah’s need for length and offensive depth at the forward/wing position. Guarding Markkanen and his movement around the perimeter with bigger, more athletic defenders will allow Williams to get into isolation situations and score over smaller defenders with his wingspan and 6-foot-8 frame. 

Collier, 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, will be able to play downhill to his liking right away at the NBA level. His combination of speed and size will give the Jazz a clearer option to run the floor and play aggressively in transition, something that we haven’t known guard Jordan Clarkson to do at a particularly high level. 

Filipowski will fit right into Utah’s identity off the bench with his size and spacing ability, allowing coach Hardy to run very similar offenses with both his first and second units. The Jazz have not been able to throw big bodies at opponents in the paint with much efficiency.

Filipowski experienced some difficulty with one-on-one interior defense at Duke but can put on muscle and fill out his frame – a frame that none of the forwards or centers on Utah’s bench possessed last season. 

The roster is much more complete and fleshed out. And, well, better. Coach Hardy should now have the depth of pieces he needs to fully unleash his offensive vision. Play the over on the Jazz winning at least 28 basketball games. 

All three draft picks would be fair bets and good values to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award if drafted by separate teams.

Player	Rookie of the Year Odds – FanDuel
Cody Williams	+2000
Isaiah Collier	+10000
Kyle Filipowski	+15000

Since all of them are going to play for the same team – a team that should be better – they’ll get splits of credit and steal votes from each other. There are far better plays for dark horse candidates.