The Utah Jazz may be in the midst of a two game losing streak, but at 7-3, they are still firmly in contention for the 2021-22 NBA Championship. Regardless, there are areas in which the squad could stand to improve.
Perhaps the most troubling development for the Jazzmen this early in the season has been Jordan Clarkson’s performance. There may not be an adjective that sufficiently describes how horrible his season has been so far. He’s averaging 14.4 points on 34.4% shooting from the field and 21.7% shooting from three-point range.
Is it possible that the Boston Celtics might want him anyway?
Utah Jazz sacrifice scoring power for defensive prowess
A Clarkson-for-Smart swap has the potential to benefit both the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics.
Recently, Smart made some comments about his Celtics’ offensive game plan that have led to rampant speculation about his discontent with the organization. He’s not currently eligible for a trade, having recently extended with Boston, but he would be by the 2021-22 trade deadline.
The Celtics certainly may have higher aspirations than the acquisition of Jordan Clarkson. Their desire to add Bradley Beal to their roster is one of the NBA’s worst kept secrets. However, Beal’s departure from the nation’s capital looks less likely with every win the surging Washington Wizards add to their ledger.
Jordan Clarkson may provide a reasonable facsimile of Beal’s skillset for the C’s, Moreover, he would inevitably come at a much cheaper cost: the Celtics are not acquiring Beal in a straight up swap for Marcus Smart.
On the Jazz’s end, Smart is actually not having a much better offensive season than their reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He’s averaging 8.6 points per game on 31.2% shooting from the field and 28.3% shooting from three-point range.
Fortunately, the Utah Jazz wouldn’t be acquiring Smart strictly for his offensive prowess. He’d bring a number of qualities to Quin Snyder’s rotation that Clarkson is unable to: elite defense, intensity and hustle.
Arguably, it’s far too early to hit the panic button on Clarkson. He’s a notoriously streaky shooter, and he’ll inevitably get hot as the season progresses. On the other hand: he’s a notoriously streaky shooter. Marcus Smart is admittedly a less talented offensive player, but his two-way play would offer stability to this Utah Jazz rotation.
The Celtics get the 2023 pick swap because Smart is a more valuable asset than Clarkson. He’s two years younger, and his 24.0 career Win Shares (WS) exceed Clarkson’s 18.1 in the same 7 seasons of NBA experience.
In all likelihood, this is another hypothetical trade proposal that remains exactly that: hypothetical. Jordan Clarkson will inevitably regain some degree of his prior form, and the Utah Jazz may want to hold onto the dynamic scoring guard when he does. Nonetheless, this swap has the potential to yield dividends for the Jazz if it ever does come to fruition.