Anji who made a mistake? How much is the 28-year-old Markanin worth?

Recently, according to the latest report by NBA reporter Bill Simmons: The Jazz is willing to listen to the transaction quotes about Markanen.

I don't know how you feel when you see this news. My first reaction is: Danny Angie may have made a mistake this time.

As the seventh pick in the first round of 2017, Markanen started his career with the Bulls. After the rookie contract ended, he played for a year in the Cavaliers and was then sent to the Jazz in Mitchell's trade.

Return to Mitchell's trading chips at that time:

Jazz sent Mitchell to the Cavaliers in exchange for Marcanning, Sexton, Ochai Abakki, plus three unprotected first rounds (2025, 2027, 2029) and two first rounds (2026, 2028).

I originally thought that the Jazz were interested in 3 first rounds + 2 swaps + 1 rookie, but I didn't expect that this deal would completely change Markkanen's career. Before being traded, Markkanen played 61 games, averaging only 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, with shooting percentages of 44.5%, 35.8%, and 86.8% respectively in the three games, and his true shooting percentage was 58.2%.

In the first year of joining the Jazz, Markkanen played 66 games, averaging 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, and his shooting percentage in three events increased to 49.9%, 39.1%, and 87.5%, and his real shooting percentage was as high as 64%.

Due to his rapid personal performance, Markkanen was elected the fastest-progressive player in the 2022-23 season and was selected as the All-Star of the season. It is worth mentioning that the competitors Markkanen defeated that year were Alexander and Brunson, and now these two are players of completely different levels from Markkanen.

Markanen was only 26 years old at the time, and his contract was worth a lot. He was in the second year of a four-year, 67 million contract signed with the Cavaliers. With two years left, the annual salary was within 20 million.

At that time, Markkanin was at the peak of trading value, and the style of the game was the second and third main players of the championship team. Although the ball-holding ability is lacking, the organizational transmission and singles ability is also poor. For Marcanning, being the top player in the team is a bit lacking, but he has the advantage of height and rebounds, running without the ball and shooting is also efficient and high-quality enough. Most importantly, Marcanning does not need the ball and has the threat of outside shooting, which are extremely rare advantages for the championship team.

In addition, Markkanen was 26 years old at the time and was not suitable for training as the core of reconstruction, so when the Jazz traded him, it was the best selling point. But Danny Angie doesn't think so. He feels that Markkanin's high point is still coming, and it was also reported that the Jazz is unwilling to send Markkanin away.

Coming to last season, that is, the 2023-24 season. Markkanen's second year of joining the Jazz still performed well, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game, shooting percentages of 48%, 39.9%, and 89.9% respectively in the three fields, and his real shooting percentage was 63.1%. Although the Jazz's record is still poor, Markkanen's influence on the game is still obvious: when he is on the court, the Jazz beat the opponent by 0.6 points per 100 rounds; when he is not on the court, the Jazz loses 9.5 points per 100 rounds.

During this period, Markkanin was still regarded as a top deputy with extremely cost-effectiveness and strong adaptability, and therefore had many teams who pursued their next home, especially those who wanted to make some achievements in the playoffs, and were constantly involved in Markkanin's scandal.

Of course, the Jazz are not completely unstoppable. They released a little bit of slim trading, but Angie's asking price is extremely amazing: 4-5 first round plus an All-Star player, which is almost equivalent to the offer from Mitchell or Gobert back then.

Also due to the high asking price, Anji was unable to be sent away by Markkanen before the 2024 transaction deadline. Next, the 2024 offseason came, and a heavy deal occurred in the market: the Knicks bought 5 first rounds and 1 swap rights, and exchanged Bridges from the Nets.

Many people are familiar with this transaction, but objectively speaking, there are two main factors that Bridges can be worth 5 first rounds: one is that he has two years of value-added contracts left, and the other is that he can join forces with Villanova alumni. But even so, there are still many doubts that have emerged, believing that Bridges is not worthy of the five first rounds.

But the Jazz doesn't seem to think so. According to news at the time, the Kings, Warriors, and Spurs all made offers for Markkanen, but the Jazz's attitude is very clear. Unless they receive a "5 first round + 1 swap" level offer like Bridges, they will not consider letting go of Markkanen.

So, the deal was delayed for the entire offseason and failed to complete. Then, the Jazz did another incredible operation: renewing the contract with Markkanen, using the remaining salary space to increase the salary of the original contract in the last year from 18 million to 42 million, and then signing a four-year, 196 million extension contract, which is equivalent to paying a total price of 238 million in the next five years.

Of course, the most important thing that causes the decline in the transaction value of Marcanning is his own state. In the first year after the contract renewal, Markkanen's performance declined, with averaging 19 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. His shooting percentages were 42.3%, 34.6%, and 87.6% in three events, and his real shooting percentage was only 57.1%.

But we must also admit that Markkanen's performance decline is related to the Jazz's chaotic team state, but every decline in his data eventually became the bargaining chips for other teams at the negotiating table.. What's more, he is now 28 years old, and the remaining one is a four-year, 196 million yuan long contract. Compared with his 26-year-old, two-year super value contract, and when he was first selected as an All-Star, the transaction value is no longer the same.

It should be mentioned specifically that Danny Angie's miscalculation is not limited to Markanin. This season, Walker Kessler's trading value has also declined sharply. Kessler, 23, averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in the 2024-25 season. He is still a center with great potential, but he has obviously regressed compared to his amazing performance in the rookie season, and he will face the issue of renewal next season.

Back to the beginning, according to the latest reports, the Jazz are open to trades to the entire team in the 2025 offseason, with Kessler asking for the highest price. Unless you receive an undeniable offer, the Jazz will not let people go easily, but if it continues to drag on, Kessler may become the next Markkanin.

It can only be said that even the smartest old fox will miscalculate. Especially when it comes to trading Markanen, Anji showed courage in 2022 and sent Mitchell and Gobert away in one go. As a result, in the past two years of 2023 and 2024, he missed the best opportunity to trade Markanen in succession, and now he still wants to exchange for 5 first rounds? It is really difficult to find such a sucker.