Officially confirmed, Warriors withdraw from negotiations, All-Star forward, may become a hot potato

Since Adam Xiaohua came to power, the alliance has undergone earth-shaking changes. He is committed to promoting American basketball globally and attracting more partners to benefit and win-win. Under such a general policy, the NBA chose to reach an 11-year broadcast agreement with ESPN, NBC and Amazon with a total value of US$76 billion. Such benefits directly allow each team to make a fortune. The most direct result is that various large contracts are flying everywhere. You should know that after the former Grizzlies guard Conley received a five-year, $150 million contract, the entire basketball industry was shocked. On the other hand, Devin Booker may get an annual salary of 75 million in the offseason. Since there is the first player to take the lead, it is undoubtedly a great encouragement for capable stars, but high-paying behavior is also a double-edged sword, which makes many championship teams in salary trouble.

Among them, the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors are all actively operating, trying to achieve their goals in the offseason. The Warriors, which had a different purpose from the first two, played their own small abacus. Although General Manager Dunleavy won the All-Star forward Butler before the trading deadline, the running-in between him and Curry and Zhu Meng is still not good. Based on this original intention, Golden State will play the role of a buyer in the trading market, hoping to strengthen the team's shortcomings through signings. According to famous reporter Bill Simmons, the Warriors' Jazz forward Mark Kanen has been put on the trading shelves by management. At this stage, Utah is listening to the offer.

As the All-Star forward in 2023, Markkanen's performance on the court is remarkable. So far this season, he has played for the team for 47 regular season games, and averaged 31.4 minutes per game, scoring 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Although the overall data is not too impressive, his three-in-one shooting percentage is still considerable, with a shooting percentage of 42.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 35%. He fully demonstrates his exclusive traits of becoming a cornerstone of a team building. However, ideals are full and reality is skinny. His future plans with An Ji, then general manager of the team, had a lot of dissatisfaction.

Markanen, 27, hopes that the management can strengthen the lineup, improve overall strength, and launch an attack on the playoffs and championships. However, the Jazz management does not have such a plan. They are more willing to use their extreme dives to sign the No. 1 pick in the bad stage, but such a wrong idea was completely strangled by Xiao Hua in the cradle. After working hard for a season, the team not only failed to achieve their record, but also failed to achieve their wishes in the final draft. Now, there are fewer and fewer choices in front of them. Perhaps only by breaking up the lineup and reorganizing can the team return to the ranks of Western Conference strong teams.

However, according to Warriors Anthony Slater, the Golden State Warriors terminated the trading conversation early. The implication is that management has given up on getting Markkanen's plan, and Slater also responded to the reasons. Even though the Warriors had pursued the Finnish striker in the 2024 offseason, his approach to staying behind the Jazz has disappointed Golden State fans, from his own perspective, it is a great blessing to sign a five-year, $238 million maximum salary contract. It seems to be incredible, but it lays hidden dangers for the inability to get rid of jazz in the future.

As of now, Markkanin's new contract has only ended its first year, with a four-year term left, with a total value of 195 million. Such an amazing number directly scared away the Warriors general manager Dunleavy. Considering their lineup next season, Jimmy Butler, Curry and the Big Three of Dreams have already occupied 80% of the team's salary space. If Markanen joins strongly, the team's total salary will break through the second rich line, and the team will suffer a setback in subsequent strengthening. Based on long-term considerations, if Jazz does not lower the asking price, Markkanin may become a hot potato.