2025 NBA Free Agency: Utah Jazz agree to buyout with Jordan Clarkson

Jordan Clarkson, one of the top reserve guards in the NBA, has spent the past five and a half seasons of his professional career in Salt Lake City. However, after having his best years there, he and the franchise are going in a different direction.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Jazz will be finalizing a buyout of Clarkson. That will make Clarkson available as a free agent for teams around the association with Charania noting that several are likely get involved with a focus on ones who will be in contention.

“Jordan Clarkson is finalizing a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN,” Charania tweeted this afternoon. “Clarkson will target contending teams for his new home — with interest from multiple playoff teams already expected.”

Clarkson, an eleven-year veteran in the league, has averaged 16 points (43.6% FG, 33.6% 3PT on 1.9 makes), 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Utah Jazz. Since being traded to Utah in December of 2019, Clarkson has posted the best stats of his career at 17.5 points (42.8% FG, 33.5% 3PT on 2.4 makes), 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He would go on to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the team in 2021 and finish in the top-five for the award the next season in 2022 before starting full-time for them in 2023. He has been limited in games played the past two seasons, though, including just 37 this past year with a surgery for plantar fasciitis ending it by the end of March.

Utah, after having the worst record in the NBA last season at 17-65, is clearly moving in a new direction with their moves to this point of the offseason. The Jazz originally, per reports, were looking to trade Clarkson before deciding to buy him out. They’ve also traded Collin Sexton and waive Johnny Juzang in the past two days. That’s after getting Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., and Wisconsin’s John Tonje last week in the NBA Draft to now build along with several other pieces, whether ones they’re keeping or also set trade, also on the roster.

Clarkson has been one of the best scoring guards in the league, especially of those off the bench, over his nearly dozen years in the NBA. That’ll be valuable to some team on the open market now that he’ll reportedly be among the free agents with this buyout.