After being shopped around the Feb. 8 trade deadline, Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is “very likely” to leave the team in the offseason, per Sarah Todd of Deseret News.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush here,” Todd writes. “It is very likely that this is Clarkson’s last season with the Jazz. With the direction the team is headed and the structure of Clarkson’s contract, it seems inevitable that the Jazz will look to trade him in the offseason…”
Jordan Clarkson ‘Very Likely’ to Leave Jazz
Clarkson’s time with Utah has been the best of his career.
Named Sixth Man of the Year in 2021, his first full season with the Jazz, he quickly became a fan favorite. However, with Utah opting to trade Donovan Mitchell after the season, the Jazz began their rebuild. With that, Clarkson’s veteran status took on a different meaning.
It was still a badge of honor. A signifier of his experience and longevity. However, Clarkson was approaching his 30s at a time when the Jazz’s best player —2017’s No. 7 pick, Lauri Markkanen —had just turned 25 years old. Even worse, at least for Clarkson, Markkanen was just coming into his own as a player.
Lauri Markkanen Enters the Chat
Markkanen’s reputation took a major hit during his time with the Chicago Bulls, the team that drafted him in 2017. Due to inefficient offense, inconsistent defense, and an inability to stay healthy, he was fighting the dreaded ‘bust’ label. Failing to agree on a contract extension with the Bulls, he agreed to a sign-and-trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He only lasted one season with the Cavs. Playing primarily as a small forward for the first time in his career, Markkanen became a more reliable defender. He also showed off his scoring versatility, which seemed suited for his position change.
However, he shot just 44.5 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from 3. Though the Cavs were fond of him, he was expendable. Especially for Mitchell. That said, upon being traded to the Jazz, there was nobody who was thinking of Markkanen as the player who would become the face of the franchise.
As a result of Markkanen’s All-Star transformation, their timeline was accelerated. However, Clarkson was still just a bit outside their new timeline.
The Filipino Flame Thrower
Averaging 17.7 points and 3.6 assists per game as a Jazzman, Clarkson has been sizzling in Salt Lake City. He’s scored 40 or more points three times since being traded to Utah and 30 or more points 20 times, numbers that rank seventh and 11th in Jazz history, respectively. He’s the Jazz’s all-time leader in 30-point games by a bench player. An instinctive scorer and imaginative shot-creator who has a knack for curling around defenders for short jumpers, his shots always feel like they’re going in.
Yet, while Filipino flamethrower has put up historically relevant scoring numbers in Utah, he’s also grown as a playmaker.
Though still a score-first player, he’s consistently manipulating defenses to create open looks for his teammates. This season, he’s already dished out 10 or more assists in a career-high four games. The magnum opus of his work to become an all-around player was his first career triple-double, which he recorded on the first day of 2024. It was Utah’s first triple-double in 16 years.
Jordan Clarkson’s Options
Clarkson and the Salt Lake City community have taken to one another. However, in sports, being fond of a player doesn’t guarantee that either they —or the team they play for —will ensure they remain in the same uniform for the remainder of their career. With that said, there are several options for Clarkson and the Jazz if they search for an offseason trade partner.
The New York Knicks have already been linked to Utah as a potential suitor. Having to surrender one of the best sixth men in the league in Immanuel Quickley for them to acquire OG Anunoby, they could look to strike a deal with the Jazz this offseason due to their need of bench scoring. Several contenders, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, face a similar issue.
However, the best trade for all parties could be between Utah and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jordan Clarkson to the Thunder?
Though another young team, the Thunder are further along in their rebuild. Led by a projected MVP finalist in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they’re poised to be one of the better teams out West for several years.
In that effort, Clarkson fits many of OKC’s needs. They lack bench scoring, averaging 33.0 points per game (t-17th in the NBA). They’re facing questions about what to do with Josh Giddey this offseason, and Clarkson could play the Aussie’s playmaking role quite well. The Thunder also could benefit from his demonstrated ability to mentor young players. Conversely, Clarkson —whose braids, tattoos, and nail polish symbolize teenage spirit —would likely thrive around their youthful energy.
For Utah, it’s a trade that could bring them draft assets. To that point, the Thunder hold 35 picks through the 2030 NBA Draft. It could also lead to them reacquiring Gordon Hayward in a sign-and-trade. This might not just soften the blow of Clarkson’s departure on the court but off of it as well.
The Jazz’s primary option in the prime of his career, Hayward was well-liked throughout his time with the team. An all-around contributor with a nice shooting strike, he still has a bit left in the tank. Being able to play out the remainder of his career in Utah, where he was drafted in 2010, would be a poetic end to an emotionally charged career.
