79 points in two games! 238 million in 5 years! The Warriors can t afford it

On August 12, a warm-up match before the European Cup: Finland defeated Belgium 92-74. Finnish core Markkanen broke out again today: 8 of 12 shots, 4 of 6 three-pointers, 11 of 12 free throws, and 31 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. This European Cup will start on August 28, with Finland teams in Group G along with Serbia, Georgia and Denmark.

This is the second consecutive outbreak of Markanen. In the first warm-up match between Finland and Belgium, Markanen played for only 25 minutes, making 17 of 24 shots, hitting 48 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. The two battles scored 79 points, and the European killer was back. There were 32 teams in the European Cup. In the last event, Markanen led Finland to the quarterfinals.

There are a total of 34 NBA players participating in this European Cup, of which Markanen is the only one in Finland. Germany has 3 NBA players, France has 4 NBA players, and Serbia has 5 NBA players. Markkanen has few helpers, and Finland's strength is still far from that of the top teams. The goal of this European Cup is still to reach the quarterfinals.

In this offseason, the Warriors and Kumingga were in a tug-of-war for contract renewal, and Markanen had already killed in the European arena. In the 2024 offseason, the Warriors chased Markkanen crazy. The Jazz asked for Kumingga, Moody, Boger and a first-round pick, but the Warriors refused to give up Boger. At that time, Marca's contract was US$67.47 million for four years and expired in the summer of 2025. After the talks with the Warriors broke down, the Jazz immediately renewed the contract with Markkanen to prevent him from leaving the team directly after the contract expires. On August 8, 2024, the Jazz gave Markanin a five-year, max salary contract of US$238 million. With Markkanen renewing his contract, it is impossible for the Warriors to get him again. For the Warriors, not getting a Marca may not be a bad thing. In his eight-year NBA career, Markkanen has played more than 65 games in only two seasons, never more than 70 games. In the 2024-25 season, Markkanen only played 47 regular season games, with a career low in attendance. He averaged 31.4 minutes per game, scored 19 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 turnovers, with three shooting percentages: 42.3%, 34.6%, and 87.6%.

Look at Markkanen's performance before renewing his contract: In the 2022-23 season, he played 66 regular season games with the Jazz, averaging 34.4 minutes per game, scoring 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.9 turnovers, with three shooting percentages: 49.9%, 39.1%, 87.5%. Winner of the fastest-progress player award for regular season! In the 2023-24 season, Markkanen's data declined. He played 55 regular season games for the Jazz, averaging 33.1 minutes per game, scoring 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.4 turnovers, with three shooting percentages: 48%, 39.9%, 89.9%. After watching Markkanen's performance in the past two years, the Warriors were naturally moved.

I just didn't expect that after Markanen signed the maximum salary, he declined sharply last season. What's even more embarrassing is that Markkanen has been in the NBA for 8 years, playing in a total of 450 regular season games, but has never played in the playoffs. According to ESPN, the Jazz will not be selling Markkanen at this stage because he is at the bottom of the transaction value.

The last question: Which team do you think is suitable for Markkanen?