3 trade deadline goals for the Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz Trade Deadline Goal #2: Find a more efficient secondary ball-handler

You probably knew this was coming.

Cue the usual caveats about how Jordan Clarkson is talented, isn’t a great fit in Utah, etc. They still apply.

Clarkson is averaging 19.8 points per game and shooting 43.9% from the field and 35.5% from downtown in 10 games without Donovan Mitchell this season. He’s averaging 15.5 points with a 40.0/32.3 shooting split in his absence.

You tell us if this is working.

The eye test confirms what the stats are suggesting. Clarkson is an undersized, ball dominant scoring guard with an inconsistent three-point cannon. Mitchell is the same: he’s just better. That’s not a player archetype most teams are looking to double down on.

The best available trade target would be someone who can co-exist with Mitchell by spacing the floor while carrying the offense when needed. That sounds a lot like Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon. Otherwise, these Utah Jazz should be calling Memphis about Kyle Anderson, the Knicks about Kemba Walker, and perhaps the Lakers about Kendrick Nunn.

Basically, any team who rosters a potential secondary ball handler that shoots better than 32.3% from distance could be a feasible trade partner. The Jazz don’t even have to trade Clarkson. They could acquire any one of those players with Joe Ingles’ contract and young players or draft capital. They’d do that with the intent to maximize the time that Clarkson spends without Mitchell on the floor, while gaining a player whose a better fit alongside Spida.

That might get crowded, but it also sounds like a better problem than the current one. If Clarkson is to be a high volume sixth man, he has to be able to play alongside every starter.

If he can’t fit in with the team’s most important offensive player, that’s a problem that needs to be resolved.