Warriors Stand Firm in Refusal to Include Podz in Markkanen Trade Talks

Report: Warriors remain hesitant to include Podz in Markkanen trade as reported by NBC Sports Bay Area.

The Warriors appear persistent when it comes to a trade for Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, but Golden State reportedly refuses to budge on one player coveted by Utah.

The Warriors still are regarded as the NBA's "most ardent" Markkanen suitor, though they remain unwilling to deal second-year guard Brandin Podziemski in a potential package for the All-Star, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Sunday in his latest Substack.

"Golden State, to date, had pursued Markkanen without including Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga in trade packages laden with future draft compensation," Stein wrote. "Obviously no team, to this point, has met [Jazz CEO of basketball operations] Danny Ainge's asking price."

The Warriors certainly think highly of Podziemski. Coach Steve Kerr had difficulty keeping him off the floor during the 21-year-old's rookie season, and owner Joe Lacob recently described him as a "future All-Star." The former first-round draft pick averaged 26.6 minutes per game during the 2023-24 NBA season -- a rarity for a youngster in Kerr's lineup.

But despite all the trade buzz surrounding him, Podziemski remains unfazed.

"It's very fun for me actually. I love it," Podziemski said during "The Dinner Table" podcast published July 25. "It's cool to see different things every day -- people's comments, and if I should be [traded] or shouldn't be.

"For me, from a basketball perspective, social media aside, I try to put that away and just work on what I can control right now."

The Warriors, meanwhile, could use a player of Markkanen's caliber as they seek another NBA championship during the tail end of Steph Curry's legendary career. But time for a trade is running out, as Markkanen becomes trade eligible Tuesday, Aug. 6 -- and with the Jazz facilitating training sessions for the star forward in his home country of Finland, "more than one rival team" consulted by Stein agreed that it "just got harder to see Utah abruptly turning around and trading him."

It seems Dub Nation should get used to the idea of Podziemski remaining a Warrior, though the weeks-long Markkanen trade saga will be resolved for good in the coming days.

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