Jordan Clarkson could improve a contender's bench unit

It's hard to pinpoint where the Utah Jazz are in their rebuild. They have a blend of young talent and aging veterans. They haven't been aggressive in moving off some of their top players to stack draft assets. Yet, they are expected to be prioritizing the 2025 NBA Draft as a way to begin building out their roster around Lauri Markkanen.

As such, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are all potential trade candidates between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. According to a recent edition of "The Stein Line" newsletter, Clarkson could be Utah's most logical trade piece. His $14 million-per-year deal is right in the sweet spot for most contending teams, making a deal easy to come by.

"Collins, who's 27 like Markkanen, has one season left on his current contract after this one at nearly $27 million," Stein reported. "Clarkson, 32, would thus figure to be more tradeable as a $14 million player both this season and next season, but the Jazz are said to be pleased with Collins' play and glad that they took his contract on from Atlanta for the very nominal cost of one future second-round pick."

Clarkson is still a high-level bench scorer who can get buckets in bunches. He's a proven bench commodity, having won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2021 and finished in the top 10 of voting in 2018 and 2022. He's currently averaging 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from two-point range and 27.5 percent from the perimeter.

Despite his struggles from deep, Clarkson is the kind of bench scorer who can elevate a contending team. You only have to look at the impact Payton Pritchard is having on the Boston Celtics to understand the importance of someone who can check into the game and instantly change the rhythm and tempo.

Clarkson could be a significant addition to the right team. At this late stage in his career, he would likely accept a smaller role in order to contend at the top level. A team like the Philadelphia 76ers or Denver Nuggets could certainly use the productivity boost. 

Assuming Danny Ainge is fair with his asking price, Clarkson could finally make the jump to a contending roster ahead of the trade deadline. If he does, whoever he lands with will be getting a significant upgrade.