Interesting! The US media suggested that the Lakers trade Finnish Nowitzki. Will Pelinka take action?

According to NBA China official website: The Jazz are open to trading Markkanen.

Since entering the NBA, Markkanen was once called the Finnish Little Nowitzki because they are both from Europe, have similar heights, and have similar characteristics.

It is recommended to have an open trading attitude. The US media "Fadeaway World" suggested that the Lakers trade Markkanen. The specific chips are Reeves, Kleber, Knect, the first round in 2026 and 32, and the first round in 28.

Will Pelinka act on the US media’s suggestions?

I think it is unlikely.

Features

So far in his career, Markkanen's basket, near basket, mid-range shot, large two-point, and three-point percentages are 67.5%, 46.7%, 36.9%, 37.7%, and 37.1% respectively.

For comparison:

Ayton's five values ​​are 76.6%, 53%, 46%, 42.4% and 23% respectively.

Obviously Ayton is superior to Markkanen in the other four areas except for the three-pointer.

My understanding:

Given that Ayton is 27 years old, the Lakers will definitely stay as long as he performs well in the new season. To be precise, he can become a "long-term" partner with Doncic.

As a result, the Lakers have little need for Markkanen. I mean, Ayton can basically do what he can do on the offensive end. At the same time, he can't do what Ayton can't do on the defensive end. One more thing here: Ayton's defensive real plus-minus value so far in his NBA career is -0.2, and Markkanen's value is -1.1.

Contract

Even this summer, Markkanen still has a four-year, $194 million contract.

The average salary is nearly 50 million US dollars, which is definitely not cost-effective from the Lakers' perspective. In the final analysis, as mentioned just now, the characteristics are similar to Ayton and have no obvious advantages.

Reeves

First of all, given that Doncic is not for sale and James has the right to veto the transaction, Reeves is obviously the most valuable bargaining chip for the Lakers at this stage.

My understanding is that it’s not that the Lakers can’t trade Reeves, but it depends on what they get in return.

As far as Markkanen is concerned, Pelinka will definitely not touch Xiaoli. Again, the characteristics are similar to Ayton without any obvious advantages.

To sum up, the reason why Pelinka will not trade Markkanen is mainly reflected in three points:

1. Markkanen has similar characteristics to Ayton and does not have obvious advantages;

2. Carrying a large contract is not cost-effective;

3. Reeves cannot be moved.

Relatively speaking, I think the first point is the main reason.

If Markkanen is Kessler, and to be precise, his characteristics are that other Lakers players cannot do at this stage and are necessary for the championship, then Pelinka will definitely be traded, but the problem is not that.

Secondly, having a large contract and low cost performance plays a very good role in promoting it. Therefore, Pelinka will basically not trade Markkanen.