According to Shams Charania's fleet of carrier pigeons, the Detroit Pistons already have their sights set on offseason trade targets. Namely, Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz and Trey Murphy III out in New Orleans -- two players whose names simply refuse to stay out of offseason hysteria for even a moment.

The fundamental question in all of this is simple: why on Earth would the Jazz even consider parting with their franchise centerpiece, especially now, of all times?

The Utah Jazz are finally on the upswing after three arduous, drawn-out seasons of designed inadequacy and ineptitude on the basketball floor. Finally, with the number-two draft pick at their hip and a gleam in their eyes as a playoff run approaches over the horizon, the Utah Jazz don't expect to be bad.

In fact, by all accounts, this team could be dangerous enough to compete for a top-four spot in the wild, wild Western Conference as soon as this season.

Just take a look at the team's potential starting lineup in 2026, keeping in mind that this squad finished dead last in the West this year.

PG - Keyonte George
SG - Darryn Peterson/AJ Dybantsa (depending on draft results)
SF - Lauri Markkanen
PF - Jaren Jackson Jr.
C - Walker Kessler

Toting perhaps the most devastating rim-protection combination in all of basketball -- Kessler, a former block champion at just 24 years of age, and JJJ, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Memphis for his shot-blocking repertoire -- is dangerous enough to have the Western leaders looking over their shoulder.

Keyonte George is a budding All-Star, who broke out in his third NBA season as perhaps one of the most tantalizing young point guards in basketball. Ace Bailey, George's rookie running mate in the back court, showed tremendous flashes in his first pro campaign.

Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa (whichever falls into their lap with the second pick) will likely fill Bailey's starting spot at the 2, and begin what could be a legendary professional career in SLC.

And then there's Markkanen. The Finn with the funk. He was a footnote in the blockbuster deal that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, but quickly emerged as perhaps the most effective off-ball scorer in the league. In just his first year with the Jazz, Markkanen was an All-Star starter.

A 7-footer with a buttery-sweet shooting touch from distance. The upper-body strength paired with a towering frame that makes him positively weaponized with a full head of steam in the paint. Every team in the NBA should want a Markkanen -- this is why his name appears left and right in trade buzz.

But the Jazz are set. Their foundation is dry. The team-building stage of Utah's reconstruction is complete. They'll need an unmissable offer from the Pistons to even begin considering a Markkanen exchange. I don't see Detroit offering Duran, Thompson, and certainly not Cunningham.

The Utah Jazz are not a draft pick collection agency anymore; they're contenders.