Sunday Conversation: Lauri Markkanen

We went 1-on-1 this week with the Jazz forward who made it very clear during our visit why Salt Lake City is the place for him

There was a time during the summer, seemingly for weeks, when no player's future dominated NBA conversation like Lauri Markkanen's.

Utah's best player eventually signed a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million that first hiked his 2024-25 salary from $18 million to $42.1 million. Aug. 6 was the first day he was allowed to sign the megadeal and he intentionally waited until Aug. 7 ... thus ensuring that he would not be trade-eligible until June at the earliest following an aggressive trade pursuit this past June by the Golden State Warriors.

What was it like to have the Warriors and other teams so openly chasing him during the offseason? Why is Markkanen so determined to stay with the Jazz and lead them back to prominence? What are the areas of his game that he is most determined to improve?

We touched on all of these topics and more during a lively post-shootaround chat with Markkanen earlier this week when the Jazz were in Dallas for a preseason game. Read on for the full discussion:

Utah's Lauri Markkanen in action Thursday night in Dallas on a drive to the hoop against the Mavericks' Dereck Lively II. (📷: From the official Jazz team Twitter feed.)

(The conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.)