Jazz G Jordan Clarkson Floated as Possible Trade Piece by Insider
Speculation continues to trickle in regarding the crowded backcourt of the Utah Jazz. The latest comes from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, who suggests that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge could trade one of their veteran guards to help free up some playing time for the younger players.
Bailey shared his thoughts on ESPN’s 700 The Bill Riley Show.
“I certainly wouldn’t bet on a Jordan Clarkson trade,” Bailey told Riley. “Just because I think he’s ingratiated himself so well with the area and the organization, and it seems like the organization loves him, but with Danny Ainge running the team and sort of the phase of the rebuild that they’re in, I think in the back of your head you’ve always got to think about which veterans might play their way into a trade. If a certain guy plays well enough to garner a couple of first-round picks, it would be tough for Ainge to pass that up.”
Ainge has shown in the past that he can take emotion out of the equation when evaluating deals. Although Clarkson is Utah’s most tenured player, it makes sense on multiple levels that an exchange could be in the cards.
First, it needs to be considered that Utah already has a player with a similar skill set rostered in Collin Sexton. Both Sexton and Clarkson excel at creating their own offense but are also below-average defenders. Inserting either player as Utah’s sixth man makes more sense long term.
Presently, the pair takes up 40 million in cap space in 2023-24 and $32 million in 2024-25. With All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen’s max deal around the corner, there may not be enough room for two players who essentially do the same thing.
Also, if the rumors of Keyonte George standing out in training camp are true, clearing a path for full-time minutes for the No. 13 overall pick could come sooner rather than later. George's emergence is the top storyline as we approach the regular season.
Lastly, if it came down to a decision to trade Sexton or Clarkson, the Jazz would most likely want to keep the player that fits in their championship window. Sexton is six years younger than Clarkson and may still have room to grow. With Utah being at least a year or two from being serious contenders, the more logical choice would be to keep Sexton.
Jazz fans may get a clearer picture of the pecking order of both guard spots soon. Utah faces off against the Los Angeles Clippers in its first preseason game on Sunday.
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