Jordan Clarkson routinely pops up among the Utah Jazz players most likely to be traded. That's not just because he doesn't fit their timeline or not paid too much to turn off a trade suitor. It's because plenty of teams could use someone like him.
Clarkson's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, is among the teams that could use him. ESPN's Kevin Pelton explained why they could use him and even what the Jazz could expect in return for him.
"Clarkson started his career with the Lakers, and a return would make sense to boost their shot creation off the bench. The Lakers could send back Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino," Pelton wrote.
Not only that, but the Lakers desperately need shot creation period after trading D'Angelo Russell. That's not to take away from how smart it was to get Dorian Finney-Smith, but Russell is a bucket-getter, and so is Clarkson.
So could the two sides agree to a deal? Well, it's not that simple.
Utah owning the Lakers 2027 pick looms large in any trade negotiation
The Jazz want to trade Clarkson so that more of their young guys can develop by taking his minutes. The Lakers need Clarkson for the reasons mentioned above, so a trade makes sense between them. However, the Lakers owe the Jazz a first-round pick that could be very valuable two years from now.
The Jazz own a golden asset from the Lakers, thanks to the first Russell Westbrook from nearly two years ago. Having a top-4 protected pick from a team that might not have LeBron James on the team by that time is a fantastic asset.
Maybe they could be okay with getting another one for Clarkson, but it may not be worth increasing the number of picks the Lakers would owe the Jazz at the cost of hurting their quality.
There's a similar hangup regarding trading Walker Kessler to the Lakers. Getting Clarkson helps the Lakers by filling the hole left by Russell, and in so doing, if Clarkson sticks around, suddenly this situation goes from one pick could go from being potentially top-10 to having two picks that range from mid to late first-round.
The Jazz may prefer getting Clarkson out of town, but it's not like he's getting in the way of their goals this season, so there isn't much hurt in keeping him. Sure, their young guys could use the minutes he's getting when he's on the floor - and it's been a while since he's taken the floor - but Utah can wait until the offseason to see if he has a market then without worrying about their lottery odds.
Now, that pick the Lakers owe the Jazz may get worse value-wise anyway if the Lakers get a Russell replacement before the NBA trade deadline, but the Jazz should and would feel foolish if they were the ones that gave it to them. A lot can change over the next two years, but the Jazz would be smart to avoid a trade with the Lakers for the next two years unless it's an offer they can't refuse.
Right now, it's hard to see how the Lakers could offer one despite how many first-rounders they could trade.