As preparation for EuroBasket 2025 begins, Lauri Markkanen has wasted little time proving he's a star trade target that the Miami Heat should be willing to go all-in for. During a preparation game for the tournament, Markkanen lit up the scoreboard with 48 points for Team Finland.
EuroBasket takes place during the month of August, and Markkanen is just one big name that will be featured in the tournament. The fact that he's already making waves is a good sign, not only for the Utah Jazz but also for teams in the market for a star player.
The Heat should be exploring the star market
The Heat, who should still be scouring the trade market for star players, could be intrigued by the possibility of adding Markkanen. Even though the asking price would be high, there's reason to believe that Markkanen, at 27 years old, would be a great fit next to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
And if his performance for Team Finland so far in EuroBasket is any indication, Markkanen's best basketball could still be in front of him. As one of the best developmental franchises in the league, Miami should feel strongly about its ability to get the most out of Markkanen.
If the Jazz reach a place where they're open to trading Markkanen, the Heat should absolutely be interested. The big question would revolve around how invested the Heat are willing to be.
Could Lauri Markkanen wiggle free from Utah?
Theoretically speaking, Markkanen is a player who should probably hit the trade block over the next few months. With the Jazz still in the very early stages of a rebuild, it would make the most sense for Utah to trade Markkanen.
As the Heat slowly inches closer to getting back complete control of their draft future, they could certainly crash the potential bidding war for Markkanen. Of course, that's assuming the Jazz and Markkanen can agree it's time to move on from each other.
Even though it may seem plausible and the best course of action for both sides, it's far from a foregone conclusion. After signing the huge extension with the team last summer, it quickly became clear that Markkanen had found a home in Utah and that he'd be more than willing to remain there.
Maybe things have drastically changed over the last calendar year, but there hasn't been much of a push, yet, from either side.
But knowing how the Jazz's front office operates, if the right deal did come around, I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't consider it. If Markkanen keeps playing at this level on the international stage, there's no reason why Miami shouldn't explore the possibility of making an aggressive offer.
I'm not sure how far a core of Markkanen, Herro, and Bam can take the Heat, but it could certainly be better than any other logical alternative that could reasonably be in the cards heading into the future.