With just two days until the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, rumors are starting to pick up around the league. There are a few teams that people are keeping a close eye on, as the buyers and sellers are more clear this year than they have been in years past.
One team that is once again exceeding expectations but expected to be sellers is the Utah Jazz. In the 2022 offseason, the Jazz had plans on tanking and getting into the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
They traded away Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic before the season. During the season, they traded Mike Conley Jr. But, they didn’t come close to the No. 1 pick and Wembanyama, as they played too well during the season.
The same story is being written in the 2023-24 season. While there isn’t a super prospect to tank for this season, the Jazz are once again playing better than people expected. They are 25-26 and in 10th place in the Western Conference, the last spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Despite being close to playoff contention, they are expected to sell ahead of the deadline. Veterans Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Clarkson are the two players mentioned most often in NBA rumors swirling around.
Trading both players is certainly a possibility, especially if their asking price is met in a bidding war. One of the teams who could show interest in Clarkson is the New York Knicks, who are in desperate need of a bench scorer behind Jalen Brunson.
Clarkson, the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year, started all of last season before moving back to the bench this season. If he were to be involved in a trade, Tony Jones of The Athletic has reported that Clarkson would be open to moving to the Knicks.
“I can tell you just from my conversations with people around the situation, I think that Jordan [Clarkson] would welcome a trade [to the Knicks] if that’s how it would go down,” Jones said on ESPN 700, via Basketball on X.
Clarkson would certainly provide the scoring punch and shot creation the Knicks are lacking behind Jalen Brunson. That was a role once filled by Immanuel Quickley, who was traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of a blockbuster deal earlier this season.
His scoring prowess would be helpful, but there are certainly questions about his fit. Tom Thibodeau likely wouldn’t be able to play Brunson and Clarkson together for long stretches given the lack of defensive impact on the perimeter.
New York certainly needs another scoring option, but one that can play alongside Brunson at times would be preferred. Clarkson also struggles at times as a spot-up shooter, as he needs the ball in his hands to thrive. That could limit his effectiveness in New York, making him likely a lower-tier target for the team.
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