The Thunder's rebuild is nearing it's completion, with continued internal growth expected to provide the foundation, the finishing touches may be realized in a trade with the Jazz to acquire Lauri Markkanen. He himself has seen his game grow immensely since his rookie season but more noticeably since he has been with the Jazz these past two seasons. His frame has filled out considerably similar to Giannis and he now couples being a physical force with a high IQ on the court. His shot has developed into a true weapon. Markkanen is the player that the Thunder envisioned Poku growing into when they drafted him in 2020. This is their chance to use some of their seemingly endless supply of draft capital to accelerate their timeline & heighten their chances of advancing deep in the playoffs this season and the years to come. With almost no future salary obligations, they would have no problem offering Markkanen the contract he deserves.

For the Jazz this trade is pretty simple as they hoard even more picks a la the team they made this trade with and provide themselves more flexibility in future trades by acquiring their own pick back this year. They also acquire a player who could be a near 1 for 1 replacement for Markkanen if he continues to develop physically and on the court, a long shot admittedly but still possible. Williams is a solid role player and would absolutely have value in a flip at the deadline. Mijic has been a top international player for years and he teased his NBA debut for awhile until finally coming over seas this year. He played some minutes early in the year but has found himself buried on the OKC bench. He wouldn't offer much in the form of long term value for the Jazz but he could provide some veteran PG minutes on a team that doesn't have a true 1 on the roster.