I like Lauri Markkanen. There, I said it. I never quite understood why Chicago soured on him the way they did. I was happy to see him reach the Play-In with Cleveland (the only time in his career!), thrilled when he earned Most Improved Player and an NBA All-Star spot, and impressed by the way he carried Finland to fourth place in EuroBasket, after a stunning Round of 16 upset over Serbia and Nikola Jokic. Here’s a typical sequence from that tournament:

The problem is that Lauri Markkanen currently plays for the Utah Jazz. After a poor 2024/25 season and with the Jazz stripping almost all veteran presence from the roster, trading Collin Sexton and John Collins, while Jordan Clarkson left in free agency, Markkanen’s presence has become more of a nuisance than a foundation. Utah has no interest in jeopardizing its tanking path, especially with a top-8 protected first-round pick at stake (otherwise, it would convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder). His contract - Four years, $193.3 million left - makes any trade tricky in today’s NBA economic reality, but for some teams, the effort would be worth it (Pistons, anyone?).

Markkanen’s very presence also explains why Utah’s “light” tanking in 2023 and 2024 never resulted in premium draft picks. The current roster is cluttered with players whose ceilings are still unclear at best. Taylor Hendricks, the No. 9 pick in 2023, has managed just 43 games in two years. Cody Williams, last year’s No. 10 pick, stood out for the wrong reasons in a weak draft. Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier are distinctly different players, but both project as backup point guards, if not in Utah, then elsewhere. Bryce Sensabaugh (No. 28 in 2023) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 32 in 2024) look more like keepers thanks to their offensive talent.

In that context, rookies Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton will get every opportunity to prove themselves as potential starters. At the same time, the Jazz quietly hope for some lottery luck that might land them A.J. Dybantsa (who was recruited to BYU with the help of owner Ryan Smith) or Darryn Peterson. Any talent infusion would be welcome in this limited roster. A Markkanen trade would only accelerate the process.

The story of the Charlotte Hornets begins and ends with LaMelo Ball. It can be a beautiful story, as in this case:

Or a messy story, as in this case:

Or a sad story, as in this case:

Either way, Logan Roy’s line in Succession - “you are not serious people” - seems to apply to LaMelo Ball as well.

Beyond his frequent injuries, which limited him to 105 games over the past three seasons combined, the best description of his basketball is “circus-like.” Last season, he averaged 21.3 shot attempts per game - a number that would have ranked second only to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had he played enough games to qualify - and his effective field goal percentage of 47.8% was his lowest since entering the league.

The style of Charlotte’s point guard reflects on the entire roster, which isn’t devoid of talent: Brandon Miller could have a comeback year after just 27 games in his 2nd season; Miles Bridges could be playing on a stronger team were it not for his legal troubles; Collin Sexton brings valuable experience to the backcourt. I don’t think Konn Knueppel was worth a top-four pick, but he can provide shooting and spacing.

The bigger problem is that the Hornets don’t have a legitimate NBA center (Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner will try to become one). That might help them improve their draft position, but it won’t build a winning team in the long run - unless they start getting things seriously.

The basketball tragedy that is the Phoenix Suns is already well known: after mortgaging their future to build a super-team, they ultimately lost Kevin Durant, bought out Bradley Beal, and do not control their own first-round picks until 2032. Devin Booker is one of the best players alive - and his annual salary will also be the highest in the league - but he will now have to serve as the team’s primary point guard, a role far from ideal for him, on a roster with no natural playmakers. The best point guard around is probably the new advisor, Steve Nash.

The development of Jalen Green and Mark Williams in the short term, and of Khaman Maluach in the longer term (very long, judging by his Summer League showing), gives some hope to those looking for positives. The young head coach Jordan Ott might even prove to be the second coming of Mark Daigneault. But without any incentive to tank and without a realistic path to the playoffs, the Suns’ situation looks particularly bleak. Perhaps they can find some comfort in the condition of the next team.

Ben Simmons - who appears to have fallen out of the league at just 29, five years after making All-NBA Third Team - is the cautionary tale of the modern summer-workout-video era. Every offseason, we were shown clips of him draining outside shots with ease. Expectations rose, then the season started, and Simmons once again refused to shoot, let alone make, jumpers. There’s a new trend that feels eerily familiar: reports of a slimmed-down Zion Williamson. We heard them in 2023,

and again this summer. Williams himself said he hasn’t felt this good since college.

But history teaches us that nothing can be taken for granted with Williamson. After playing just 30 games last season - and three seasons of 30 or fewer games out of his five in the league - health remains the biggest question. With a healthy Williamson and with a foundation of Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and Jordan Poole, the Pelicans, on paper, are more talented than most lottery-bound teams in the West.

But with the roster’s injury history, no true point guard (Dejounte Murray is still sidelined), and some puzzling front-office moves by Joe Dumars (the Poole trade and the draft-day trade for Derik Queen that cost a 2026 first-rounder), it’s reasonable to expect that something will go wrong in New Orleans’ season sooner or later.