Dallas Mavericks dodge major bullet thanks to Lauri Markkanen news

As we inch closer and closer to the genesis of the 2024-25 NBA season, anticipation is brewing for Dallas Mavericks fans to see their team step back onto the hardwood for the chance at competing for another NBA Championship.

However, NBA related news has seemingly come to a halt throughout this month of August, as the 2024 Paris Olympics have been the main spectacle in the basketball world, and players who aren’t partaking in the Olympics have been resting and training in preparation for next season.

Even though most offseason transactions and player movement has been completed at this stage of the year, there are still a few big chips on the trade market that have been rumored to be dealt elsewhere all offseason long, even though these rumors don't necessarily involve the Mavericks since they've practically already filled out their entire roster.

Mavericks got lucky that Lauri Markkanen is staying in Utah

These potential moves could definitely have major ripple effects for the Mavericks though, as this was the case with the uncertainty surrounding where Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen was going to be suiting up this coming season. As reported yesterday though, Markkanen signed a five-year contract extension worth $238 million to remain in Utah according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, making him ineligible to be traded for six months and until next season's trade deadline.

While it may not seem like it at face value, the Mavericks dodged a major bullet with this Markkanen news. The Jazz are clearly a rebuilding team who don't really fit the 27-year-old All-Star's timeline, so it seemed like the consensus within most NBA circles that the Jazz would attempt to find a new home for Markkanen during this offseason.

Some of the most heavily rumored potential destinations for Markkanen to be traded to were Golden State and Oklahoma City, both franchises whom the Mavericks have a tense past with and regard as Western Conference rivals, so it's great news to not see either of those scenarios come into fruition.

While both of those franchises would've inevitably had to give up a significant package to attain Markkanen in a trade, they likely would've come out a better team once everything was all set and done, particularly in Oklahoma City's case.

A player of Markkanen's caliber and playstyle would be a dynamic floor-spacing big and help-side defender wherever he went at the very least, so it's a huge sigh of relief to not see him go to one of Dallas' best Western Conference rivals in Oklahoma City, especially since the Thunder already improved drastically this summer.

The Thunder could very well still acquire Markkanen at next season's trade deadline, though they wouldn't have a full season of continuity to gel together at that point. With that being said, this is certainly a huge win for the Mavericks in the interim since they very well could match up with the Thunder in the playoffs again or could be jousting for seeding positioning with them at the end of the regular season.

It's also a blessing for Dallas that he didn't go to the Warriors either. Golden State is a dangerous team when fully healthy, and they're already poised to become one of the Mavs' biggest rivals.

For more on the Dallas Mavericks, stay tuned as we will have you covered for the remainder of the offseason.