One NBA expert has suggested a massive deal between the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets for the upcoming season. Here is a trade proposal that Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes put out to the Jazz and Nuggets: Received by the Utah Jazz: Michael Porter Jr., the twenty-eighth overall pick in 2024, first-round trades in 2026, 2028, and 2030; second-round choices in 2025, 2026, and 2029. That was 55 games for the Jazz this season that Markkanen was a part of. On a shooting night of 48.0% from the field, 39.9% from beyond the arc, and 89.9% from the free-throw line, he averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks.
Markkanen, who was named to the All-Star team once, was named the league’s Most Improved Player throughout the 2022–23 season. There is still one year remaining on his deal. This season, Porter Jr. saw action in 81 games for the Nuggets. Shot 48.4% from the field, 39.7% from beyond the arc, and 83.6% from the free-throw line; he averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
“Markkanen is effectively a better version of Porter, but he’s also about to get more expensive,” Hughes wrote in his NBA column. The three years of Porter’s contract are set to cost $35.9 million, $38.3 million, and $40.8 million, respectively. However, it would not be unexpected if Markkanen’s next deal begins with a rate higher than the one in the final year of Porter’s current deal.
There will always be worries about MPJ’s injury history, but he’s younger than the Finn by more than a year and played in 143 games (plus 33 playoff games) in the previous two years. In all, Markkanen made an appearance in 111 contests over that time.
“Now you can close your eyes and picture this deal going through if Utah isn’t certain it wants to max out Markkanen and if teams that could match this offer nod off (looking at you, Thunder),” This coming season, Porter Jr. will earn $35.9 million. On a career basis, the swingman has put up 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. The next season, Markkanen will earn $18 million. Throughout his career, he has averaged 18.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Jazz, and the Chicago Bulls.
The Jazz failed to make the postseason this season, while Denver was eliminated in the second round after a seven-game defeat by the Minnesota Timberwolves.