While the NBA trade deadline has come and gone, rumors and speculation continue to swirl around, attempting to predict the next happenings in the league. As the offseason inches closer, it's never too early to look ahead at what moves we could see going down over the summer.
Even after the deadline, the Utah Jazz are among the teams who still have the ammo to make a deal or two when the trade window re-opens. Among the options to move, Jordan Clarkson has stuck out as a key candidate to see a trade when the time arrives taking his financial situation and the team's timeline into account.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report pinned Clarkson as a predicted name to watch in the next wave of NBA trades over the coming offseason after the Jazz opted to keep him on board past the deadline:
The Jazz made the surprising move to keep Clarkson at the trade deadline despite the team seeming destined to fall out of the West play-in picture. There could have been a financial reason for this, however. While Utah used some of their 2023-24 cap space to give Clarkson a raise, his $23.5 million salary this year falls all the way to $14.1 million in 2024-25 with another reasonable $14.3 million coming the season after. This should make the 31-year-old guard far easier to trade simply from a salary-matching standpoint... Barring a big trade, the Jazz won't be ready to go on a playoff run anytime soon. Moving Clarkson to a contender is probably something that should have been done at the deadline and will almost certainly be orchestrated this summer.
While he's still having a productive season, Clarkson has seen a bit of a dropoff in counting stats across the board from his previous year in Utah. He's averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 41.5/30.0/87.8 shooting splits. Despite the decline, he can still be a useful component to another team's bench unit.
The ten-year veteran received some interest before the deadline passed from teams like the New York Knicks before the Jazz ultimately decided to stay conservative. That interest should only continue to generate, especially with the numbers on Clarkson's contract seeing a decrease once this season comes to a close.
As the Jazz build their young core, guys like Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will command more playing time, combined with any rookies that enter the fold next season, effectively putting Clarkson's long-term future into question.
If Utah can capitalize on his value this summer with a good offer on the former Sixth Man of the Year, expect Danny Ainge to pounce on it.
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