Jazz GM Breaks Silence on Jordan Clarkson's Future in Utah
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is on the brink of hitting free agency. Set to earn $14.26 million next season, the veteran has a player option on his contract as the Jazz enter the offseason.
Clarkson could opt to take that money and remain with the Jazz, or forego it and freely negotiate with any outside team. Fans got a glimpse of what life without Clarkson would look like down the stretch, as he was absent from 19 of Utah's final 20 games.
The Jazz navigated his absence better during some stretches than others. But it gave space for Ochai Agbaji to garner starter's minutes and emerge.
On Tuesday, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik held court with local media in an end-of-season presser. One of the hot topics was Clarkson's future and where the Jazz stand.
"There's a few players on our roster that have player options," Zanik said on Tuesday. "That's going to be between the player and their agent to make that decision, and then we'll deal with that accordingly. If he's a free agent, then, obviously, we love Jordan. And he's contributed so much to this year and during his entire tenure here. But being a free agent—if he is a free agent—then he has a chance to go look at other places and look at the market and hopefully, we'll be one of them as well."
Zanik was careful to emphasize that Clarkson is not a free agent quite yet. The former Sixth Man of the Year is yet to officially decline his player option with the Jazz.
Clarkson had a different role in 2022-23 under first-year head coach Will Hardy. The Jazz leaned on Clarkson as a starter, instead of the first guy in off the bench, and while the results were good, it's debatable which role suits him best.
Clarkson would often over-dribble, and while that penchant for creating his own offense is highly valuable as a depth player, as a starter, it can throw off the timing and chemistry of the offense. And that's what Jazz fans saw this past season to a greater or lesser degree.
Clarkson appeared in 61 games, averaging a career-high 20.8 points, four rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He shot .444 from the field and was an excellent complement to the All-Star emergence of Lauri Markkanen.
Whatever happens with Clarkson, the Jazz are armed to the teeth with every NBA resource under the sun to bolster the roster with a trio of first-round picks and a projected cap space of just under $32.5M.
That's before any resolution on Clarkson's contract or that of other players with options, like Talen Horton-Tucker. In other words, when it comes to maneuvering this offseason, Ainge and Zanik are loaded for bear.
"The optionality that we've created with the roster, just the possibilities are endless," Zanik said. "Those will all come up as the season finishes. What other teams are trying to do, whether it's a trade market or free agent market, we've been studying, and we're ready for any of those opportunities that come up. There's just multiple ways for us to continue to move forward with this team and continue to try to open that championship window. And this is just one step of it, this offseason."
From the outside looking in, it seems the Jazz were anticipating Clarkson to move on, hence shutting him down for the final 18 games of the season. This decision came after Clarkson was reportedly "cleared" to play and even returned to practice at one point in mid-March.
However, the word from on high was to keep Clarkson on the bench, lest any misfortune might befall him and tied Utah down to paying an injured player. That was one of several Jazz roster decisions that fans and media alike questioned from the NBA trade deadline on.
Fans may have already seen the last of Clarkson in a Jazz uniform, but if so, let not your hearts be troubled. Utah is poised to make a dent in the NBA universe this summer.
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