Jordan Clarkson likely to stay with Utah Jazz for some timeGranted, his current contract is only for two years, but it would be a shame to see a player whose skillset should clearly be a title contender play for a team that no longer needs him.
Even though Clarkson’s contract is fairly cheap all things considered, teams are currently wary of acquiring someone who could put them in the NBA’s second tax bracket.
However, priorities change throughout the season and the NBA salary cap is expected to increase over the next few years. If Clarkson plays well enough for the Jazz, he could create a market for himself.
Sure, that sounds like unreasonable optimism, and the Jazz probably won’t get much for him at this point, but there are several suitors who could ultimately say, “Oh well” and bring Clarkson aboard.
The Bucks had a pretty solid offseason, knowing their aspirations and how last season was cut short. The additions of Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr. give Milwaukee new depth they didn’t have heading into the 2023-24 season.
So if they could add Clarkson to their team, it would make their offseason a real success. There would only be one problem.
The Bucks are currently above the NBA’s second-highest tax threshold, meaning they can’t pool the contracts of untradeable players, i.e. Pat Connaughton. Yet they’re barely above it, meaning to get below it, they’d have to trade one or two of their untradeable players.
If the prospect of acquiring Jordan Clarkson presents itself, will anyone in Milwaukee really miss players like AJ Green or Andre Jackson Jr.?
If they fall below that threshold, they could use Clarkson, using Connaughton primarily and other players on smaller contracts to make a trade work. If they do, the Bucks would bolster their chances of winning another title by filling another hole.
The Nuggets added depth this offseason, but unlike Milwaukee, they lost one of their starters, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which could prove to be a problem since they are just a year removed from a title.
Clarkson is not the same player as Caldwell-Pope and for good reason. However, as the Nuggets try to fix that situation, what has proven to be their weak point in the 2024 NBA Playoffs has been the lack of help off the bench.
Losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green hurt their unit. Again, Clarkson doesn’t necessarily replace what they brought, but he gives them some bench talent that can make up for what they lost with those two.
Trading for Clarkson without compromising the rotation would primarily include Zeke Nnaji along with other smaller contracts, which could certainly make a trade work.
The Nuggets focused on providing help to round out their rotation with Dario Saric and estimated Russell Westbrook, former member of the jazz groupThey could very well prove useful, but Clarkson is a safer bet at this stage of his career than those two.
It’s a shame people forgot about the Grizzlies, because they had all the makings of a title contender until the hellish season destroyed them with countless injuries. Now that the group is back, Clarkson could take another step forward.
The Grizzlies certainly have a culture to match the impressive talent on this team. Another scorer like Clarkson would only increase their chances of making another playoff run.
They, too, have a plausible offer to Utah for Clarkson, though it would require the Jazz to give up some financial flexibility. A deal would likely include John Konchar, who has three years left on his contract, as well as Derrick Rose and a few other smaller contracts to make the trade work.
The Grizzlies are looking to prove that last season was just an anomaly and that they intend to be among the West’s elite. Clarkson’s experience as a valued bench scorer on a contender team could come in handy if they want to make a statement.
The sad part is that the best team for Clarkson would be the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are a contender in the West who could use another scorer, and to top it off, they have several of Clarkson’s former Jazz teammates (Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Nickeil Alexander-Walker).
Not only would Clarkson fit the team’s needs, but his familiarity with those players could also help his game fit more easily into their rotation. Alas, Minnesota is very deep in the NBA’s second tax deck, so a trade would require moving pieces they likely wouldn’t want.
While it appears Clarkson could remain on the team for the next two years, he still has enough appeal as a player that it’s not out of the question that any NBA contender would want him.
