NBA rumors: Markkanen wants to stay in Utah, Blazers trade bait, anonymous scouts grade teams

It's MLB trade deadline day, but don't let that distract you from the slow-moving, yet wholly impactful happenings in NBA land. We have reached a lull in the summer's proceedings, with the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, but there is still plenty of scuttlebutt percolating behind the scenes. The NBA never sleeps, and nor do we.

Here are the latest NBA rumors to fuel your week as we look ahead to the 2024-25 season.

NBA Rumors: Anonymous league execs evaulate best, worst offseason moves

Every summer, ESPN conducts its survey of anonymous NBA executives, coaches, and scouts to gather inside opinions on moves made around the association. Sometimes the consensus is pretty standard, in line with the larger basketball community. Other times, however, we see a sharp disparity between the realm of public opinion and those who occupy league circles.

When asked for vote on the "best offseason," the four answers supplied between 18 voters shouldn't come as a shock. The Philadelphia 76ers were in first place (eight votes), followed by the New York Knicks (five), Oklahoma City Thunder (three), and Boston Celtics (two). It's hard to mount an argument for any other teams, although the Golden State Warriors' summer has been sneaky impressive in this writer's opinion.

The majority of the credit for Philadelphia, of course, stems from their ability to deliver on a years-long cap space plan and sign Paul George.

"Or, as one West executive put it, Philadelphia deserved the honor for landing George, 'especially because of what it could have looked like' if the 76ers were left with all that cap space and no star to spend it on."

The "worst" offseason was a tight race, won by the Denver Nuggets (six votes) over the Chicago Bulls (five). Letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk and replacing him with Russell Westbrook is laughably bad. The Nuggets have the best player in the world and primarily spent their offseason cutting costs. The Bulls, on the other hand, made one of the worst trades in a while, swapping Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey straight up after passing on countless better offers at the last two trade deadlines.

Consequently, the best moves of the summer were the 76ers adding Paul George (six votes) and the Thunder adding Alex Caruso (five votes), with Jalen Brunson's discount extension a distant thrid (three votes). Go figure.

Somewhat hilariously, the 76ers' $212 million contract for Paul George is also tied for the "worst" move in the poll. More hilarious still, Chicago's end of the DeMar DeRozan trade and Sacramento's end of the DeMar DeRozan trade are the other moves tied for worst of the NBA summer.

NBA Rumors: Blazers open to trading Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons

The Portland Trail Blazers could spice up the NBA trade market, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. In fact, there appears to be an in-house mandate to pull off a significant trade before the start of training camp, as he told Sactown Sports 1140 (h/t Hoops Rumors)

“I would be surprised if Jerami (Grant) or Anfernee Simons, if one of the two is not moved," said Fentress. "I was told that that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp. Both being gone? That might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more."

This is sufficiently surprising information, especially with how strong the language is. It's one thing for teams to consider trading a player. It's another matter entirely to set a goal. The Blazers aim to meaningfully reshape the roster, presumably to clear up more touches for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.

Trading Grant feels like a no-brainer. The veteran averaged 21.0 points on .451/.402/.817 splits last season, but the five-year, $160 million contract he inked last summer is destined to age poorly. Portland has a need for veteran leadership and stability, and Grant is essential to the Blazers' defense. All the same, at this stage in their rebuild, cashing in while Grant's value is high is wise.

Portland is asking for two first-round picks in Grant negotiations, per Fentress. That is a steep price but a reasonable one, and there should be teams interested in meeting it. Grant will look even better in a reduced role on a contender.

As for Simons, this is clearly an effort to balance the rotation a bit. Simons is arguably the Blazers' best offensive player. He averaged 22.6 points and 5.5 assists on efficient .430/.385/.916 splits last season. He's also 25 years old with plenty of room left to grow. Alas, the Henderson and Sharpe factor make it difficult to project Simons' path forward in Portland. That guard rotation is going to boil over eventually, and Simons' timeline is a few years further along. He could fetch an even larger haul than Grant.

In short, it looks like we should expect major changes for the Blazers before the start of next season.

NBA Rumors: Lauri Markkanen wants to extend his contract with Jazz

Lauri Markkanen rumors have hung over the NBA like a threatening rain cloud for weaks. Alas, it looks like clear skies are on the horizon, leaving the Warriors (and other interested contenders) without their desired 3-point showers. Markkanen is expected to stay with the Utah Jazz, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. In fact, Markkanen wants to stay in Utah.

Here's what Jones told ESPN700.

"Lauri has really taken to Utah. His family has taken to Utah. Obviously the Jazz can trade him between now and Aug 6th, and Lauri knows that, but Lauri has forged a really close relationship to Will Hardy. And Will has really found a way to unlock his career. And Lauri really recognizes that and appreciates that, and wants to be a part of the rebuild. From the Jazz perspective... Lauri is 27. His game is not predicated on athleticism... His game should age well. Meaning, the Jazz are fully confident that Lauri will still be this version of Lauri, or very close to it, the next time the Jazz are, in fact, good." (h/t @Dunzod, X)

Utah has until Aug. 6 to hammer out a contract extension for Markkanen. He should get the max, and that appears to be where this prolonged saga is trending. Markkanen is an incredible player who has blossomed unexpectedly in Utah, earning his first All-Star berth the season before last. He doesn't fit the current Jazz timeline — Jones expects Utah to tank hard next season — but even so, Markkanen will be tradeable for years to come. Even once his contract balloons. Moreover, Markkanen's game should age gracefully, as the Jazz appear to believe. If Utah is contending by his 30th or 31st birthday, that is still a win.

There is simply no pressure for Utah to rush into a deal. The Atlanta Hawks are concrete proof that the No. 1 lottery odds don't mean much. The Jazz have proven their ability to tank with Markkanen on the roster. There's a way to feature the ultra-skilled 7-footer while investing in youth and putting a conscious effort into building for the future, keeping the Cooper Flagg dream alive.

Markkanen is still on the Warriors' radar and we cannot count out a potential trade, but the longer this drags on, the less likely anything gets done. Expect Markkanen is stick around Salt Lake City for a while longer.