Utah Jazz Predicted to Trade Their Best Player During This Season

The Utah Jazz are probably going to be one of the worst teams in the league this season. With one of the youngest and least experienced rosters in the NBA, they are going to have trouble competing with the older and more talented Western Conference. That’s why many believe that the Jazz could be a team with multiple trade candidates throughout the season. They are in full rebuild mode and still have a few players who don’t fit their timeline. 

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report came up with “1 Bold Prediction for Every Team During 2025–26 NBA Season,” including one prediction involving Utah Jazz trade rumors. 

“According to Jones, Utah's front office remains high on Markkanen and believes he'll still be playing at a high level whenever the Jazz are ready to compete again.

But Markkanen is 28, nine years older than Ace Bailey and well clear of the rest of the young core, too.

And this season, some team is going to be desperate enough for Markkanen's finishing ability to offer Utah a trade package it simply can't refuse.

Giving up talent is often hard, but unloading Markkanen will give him a chance to make the playoffs earlier and open up developmental opportunities for players like Bailey, Taylor Hendricks, and Kyle Filipowski."

This just makes sense for the Jazz. No matter how much they like Markkanen, he just doesn't fit with the rest of their roster. They are in the middle of a full youth movement rebuild, and they have a 28-year-old borderline all-star taking up precious minutes and touches. 

While Markkanen might not fit perfectly on the Jazz, there are tons of teams that would be interested in trading for him. That's why the Jazz need to consider trading Markkanen before the season ends, making room for their young guys and bringing in assets that better fit their rebuild.