Why The New Orleans Pelicans Do The Deal?

Some Pelicans fans may be questioning our logic here. Their two best players are forwards. How will the Pelicans find minutes for Williamson, Markkanen, and Brandon Ingram?

We think they can make it work. This is the modern, positionless NBA. The Pelicans could run Markkanen at the five and produce an elite offense. They could slot Ingram in at the two and seek size advantages at every position.

Markkanen has spent time at the three throughout his career. The Pelicans can find the right balance between these three stars. If they can, they could be explosive as a result. With this trio on the roster, the Pelicans should be impossible to guard. Moreover, it is worth having Markkanen as an insurance policy for Williamson’s frequent absences.

Why The Utah Jazz Do The Deal?

There’s nothing complicated at play here. Markkanen is an outstanding player, and the Jazz are losing anyway. More often than not, that’s enough to motivate a team to rebuild. The Jazz should be no exception.

Realistically, this team was expected to rebuild last summer. The Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and got an incredible haul of draft capital in return.

Acquiring Markkanen felt like an afterthought. He was a solid young player, and the team needed to take contracts back to make the move work. Suddenly, Markkanen broke out as a star, and the Jazz were more competitive than expected. This wasn’t the plan. The Jazz should get back on track. Flipping Markkanen for a first-round pick will put Utah in a position to tank, and in time, they can use those picks to build a roster that can truly contend. They’ll have one of the best collections of draft capital in the league – what more could they want?