Lauri Markkanen Suffers Major Injury Blow Amid Warriors Trade Rumor

Warriors star Draymond Green once reportedly told Golden State's front office not to trade for Lauri Markkanen. He argued that Utah's asking price for nearly every young player and draft pick was too high. Two years on, the Warriors never made that deal, and the Jazz star has now been hit with an injury that tests his value.

Utah has lost Markkanen for at least a month. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Markkanen has a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least a month. The Jazz said the injury actually involves two nondisplaced fractures, and the team announced the diagnosis on Wednesday, five days after the damage was done.

Markkanen, 29, was hurt in Utah's 112-100 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 6. The Salt Lake Tribune described the timeline as at least four weeks, which would put his earliest return in early December. The Jazz have not given a more specific date.

The injury adds to Utah's rough start, which has dealt with a string of absences. Markkanen is their top scorer and the center of their offense, which makes his absence the most damaging yet.

Why the Warriors Trade Rumor Still Follows Markkanen

The Warriors connection is real, but it is not new. Golden State was the "most engaged" suitor for Markkanen in the 2024 offseason, according to Charania, and the two teams could not agree on a package. Utah wanted Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and draft assets, which the Warriors considered a "non-starter."

Markkanen then signed a five-year, $238 million extension in August 2024 and stayed in Salt Lake City.

Since then, the rumor has resurfaced every time Golden State looks for a star. Markkanen himself said he was flattered by the interest. "I think [it means] you've done things right, that teams want you," he said.

Golden State is 8-3 and winning with Stephen Curry, which makes a blockbuster less urgent. It also has less to offer than in 2024, since Kuminga and several other trade pieces are no longer in the same position.

The injury changes things for any team interested. A fracture of that type usually heals without surgery, so the long-term risk is low, but the Jazz would be unlikely to move him while he is sidelined.

His $238 million extension also makes him expensive for a team that would need to send out matching salary.

For Utah, the question is how to handle the next month. The Jazz have said little about their plans, and the front office has long maintained that Markkanen is not available unless the return is exceptional. A month out will not change that, but it will make it harder for rival teams to evaluate his play.

For Warriors fans, the news is a reminder of what might have been, and of why the team stayed away. Draymond's reported reasoning was that the price was too high, and Markkanen's contract and the Jazz's demands have not changed. If anything, an injury has made the debate quieter for now.

Markkanen will miss at least a month, the Jazz will try to stay afloat, and any trade talk will wait until he returns.