Knicks New PG Opens Up About Move to NYC

Some go to Wimbledon look for strawberries and cream. Jordan Clarkson wanted a move to the New York Knicks.

The former Utah backcourt threat is one of the Knicks' primary offseason additions alongside Guerschon Yabusele as New York seeks to stage a legitimate championship case by improving a second unit that ranked dead-last in bench scoring last year.

Appearing as a guest at a live recording of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's "Roommates Show" podcast in Central Park, Clarkson recalled taking in a Carlos Alcaraz match when his agent Rich Paul asked him where he wanted he to go as a free agent. Perhaps wanting to get back to the match, Clarkson had a quick request that was almost immediately fulfilled.

“I said, ‘I want to come to New York,” Clarkson told his new teammates, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "It all happened in two minutes. Then I was a Knick.”

Clarkson was eventually signed on a veteran's minimum deal after establishing himself as a sterling depth in the Association. With over a decade of experience to his name, the 33-year-old won 2021's Sixth Man of the Year Award while working in Salt Lake City and now is set to be one of the first men off the metropolitan bench.

Asked why he was so eager to make his future New York or nowhere, Clarkson expressed a desire to work in the backcourt with Brunson and, like many before him, was also drawn to the raucous environment of Madison Square Garden. The Tulsa/Missouri alum knows how loud the Garden can get, as it gleefully got on his case during an interconference clash on New Year's Day that saw him shoot 8-of-20 from the field in a one-sided Manhattan victory.

Mar 23, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

“The arena, honestly, feeling the energy from the fans," Clarkson said when asked about his metropolitan desire. "[I love] knowing they’re going to let you have it if you’re playing like [dung], but when you’re playing great, it’s all love. At the end of the day, I just want to feel the energy."

Time will tell exactly what sort of expectations will be placed on the Knicks, but Hart made a promise to Clarkson promising that the healthily reckless environment on 33rd and Seventh would live up to his expectations while taking a playful jab at Jazz fans' perceived lack of diversity.

“The Garden’s going to be great vibes,” Hart said, per Bondy. “It’s going to be different from Utah. … We got more flavor to our crowd brother, don’t worry about it.”

In the last of six seasons with the Jazz, Clarkson earned 16.2 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting just over 40 percent from the field.

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