As the opening night of the 2025-26 NBA season nears, trade rumors for some star players in the league are also making rounds. The next trade window will open on January 15, 2026, and the trade deadline is February 5. Many franchises will assess their performance before the trade window opens in the next three months.
There will be some potential blockbuster moving pieces in the January trade window, with the teams trying to understand their group’s functionality and possible trade targets. An NBA analyst named one such high-profile trade prospect, who believes the European star might be on the move either in the following trade window or the offseason.
Who Did the NBA Analyst Name as a Potential Trade Prospect?
During a podcast show on the Athletic, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune was asked to reflect on the situation of Utah Jazz star power forward Lauri Markkanen. Andy bluntly replied, “I think he’s traded in the next two windows — I’ll put it that way. So either at the trade deadline or next offseason.”
Andy Larsen believes Lauri Markkanen will either be traded at the trade deadline or next offseason 🍿
(Via @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/TEnWbfJ2kQ
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 11, 2025
Markkanen has been one of the hottest commodities in trade discussions since his breakout 2022-23 NBA season. In 2023, he was named an All-Star, won the Most Improved Player award, and won the Finnish athlete of the year award.
Whenever trade rumors fire up, Markkanen is always a hot topic of discussion, as any team from either conference can benefit from having this strong and athletic Finnish star on its roster.
What Makes Lauri Markkanen a Strong Trade Prospect?
The 7-foot, 240-pound star forward can find the bucket in the most challenging situations and from any point in the opposition’s half. His three-point shooting range is equally good as his two-point jumpers. His versatility and size allow him to play as a center and a power forward.
Markkanen’s game-reading ability and level-headedness allow him to excel in almost any condition on the court. The Finn was heavily linked to the Golden State Warriors in a potential trade deal during the 2024 offseason but ended up signing a mammoth five-year, $238 million contract extension to remain with the Jazz.
This past offseason, the Finn penned down a more lucrative contract extension with the Jazz, which stands at four years and $195.868 million, with an average annual salary of $48.96 million till the 2029 offseason, when he becomes a free agent.
Despite innumerable trade rumors, Markkanen finds a way to stay with Utah year after year. Still, this time, Larsen, who closely follows the team, reports that the upcoming trade window and the next offseason could warrant a serious warning bell on the Jazz, as a massive roster shake-up might be brewing under them.
