The Utah Jazz’s decision to clean shop and trade away its two superstars in Donovan Michell and Rudy Gobert has had a ripple effect on the rest of the roster.
Whereas at one point it made sense to have a bunch of veterans who can fill the holes that Mitchell and Gobert simply could not, their exit means that Utah can clean house entirely.
Jordan Clarkson is one of the most potent off-the-bench offensive threats in the NBA today. He won Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2021 and is coming off a campaign that saw him average 16 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.8 percent shooting from three.
Understandably, there is no shortage of potential suitors for his services.
As reported by Brett Siegel of Sports Illustrated, there are currently four squads with very real interest in Clarkson’s skillset.
“Following the departure of Donovan Mitchell, many around the league are anticipating the Jazz looking to move Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic and/or Mike Conley before the trade deadline,” he wrote.
“Clarkson has generated the most interest thus far with the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors said to be teams with initial interest following Rudy Gobert’s departure earlier this offseason.”
In addition to those teams, the Los Angeles Lakers have also been closely linked to a potential trade involving Clarkson – who started his career in L.A.
It goes without saying that Clarkson took a bit of a step back last season. His points per game dipped from where it was in 2020 despite playing more minutes; his shooting percentages have been sliding for two years now.
With that being said, he is still precisely the type of offensive spark plug off the bench that could be hugely beneficial to a championship team. The Bucks and Lakers, specifically, could really use someone like him on the roster.
Clarkson would fit nicely with the Kings and Raptors as well, but they are so far removed from the title hunt that it is difficult to see what his macro impact would be.
And the Grizzlies have so much offensive firepower at this juncture that it’s hard to see where Clarkson fits into the equation.
This past week a dark horse trade suitor emerged for Russell Westbrook’s services. Obviously if someone actually takes him off the Lakers’ hands, the front office will go that route. But if that prospective dal falls apart, it’s hard to see L.A. passing on Clarkson.
The photo speaks for itself. https://t.co/B1iwoKxq7J
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 9, 2022
Especially if he comes with some of the other pieces that have been mentioned in a possible Lakers-Jazz trade.
Where will Clarkson ultimately be playing come the start of next season?
Time will tell.
Related: Paige Spiranac’s NFL Outfit Goes Viral Ahead Of Steelers Opener
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
