3 Potential Jordan Clarkson Trade Ideas

Do the Utah Jazz move Jordan Clarkson before the start of the regular season?

Mar 6, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) goes to the basket past Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the rumblings of the Utah Jazz parting ways with Jordan Clarkson this offseason, the former Sixth Man of the Year is still pacing to start the year in Salt Lake City. So, will Utah end up moving Utah's most-tenured player before the season starts? Let's take a look at three potential exchanges that make sense for all parties involved.

 Jazz send Kris Dunn via sign-and-trade and Clarkson to the Los Angeles Clippers for Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, Amir Coffey, and two second-round picks.

In this hypothetical, the details of the Kris Dunn trade to the Clippers haven't been finalized, and Clarkson is added to the deal going back to the Clippers. The Jazz would likely waive/buyout both Westbrook and Tucker in this scenario. They both have expiring contracts and would come off the books for Utah after this season. 

This allows both of them to sign with a new team. The Jazz send Clarkson to a team that will be a playoff contender and gain a couple of assets along with salary cap relief next season. 

Jazz send Clarkson to the Milwaukee Bucks and receive Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bucks send Brook Lopez to the Lakers and receive Clarkson from the Jazz. The Lakers send Hachimura and Vincent to the Jazz and receive Lopez from the Bucks. 

In this deal, the Jazz would get the top-4 protections off of the 2027 first-round pick they own from the Lakers, along with a 2031 first-round pick swap from the Bucks. The Bucks have reportedly been looking to trade Lopez, and the Lakers are in the market for a starting center. 

The Bucks are above the second apron, and this trade would save them approximately 8.9M in salary while taking them under the second apron. The Lakers would also save approximately 5.0M in salary while giving them even more breathing room from the second apron. 

The Jazz would be taking on approximately 13.9M of extra salary, but they currently have the most salary cap space in the league, with 37.7M, so they can afford to do so. They would also be compensated for doing so with the assets coming back from the other two teams in this deal. Hachimura averaged 13.6 PPG and 4.3 RPG for the Lakers this past season. 

Jazz send Jordan Clarkson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro via sign-and-trade.

The Jazz have more than enough to sign Okoro, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet, but the Cavaliers can match any offer the Jazz make and retain him. This trade idea ensures the Jazz get Okoro and the Cavaliers receive Clarkson. The Cavaliers rule out the possibility of losing Okoro to free agency without getting anything in return.

The Cavaliers could use Clarkson off the bench as they look to return to the playoffs this upcoming season. Okoro, the 5th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is just 23 years old and would be a nice young addition to Utah’s current wings.

There is still a long way to go in this offseason, and with Danny Ainge at the helm, the Jazz will certainly be involved in a ton of trade discussions.

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