As the Utah Jazz clean house, their best player still on the roster is Jordan Clarkson, a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate and perhaps the best bench scorer in the league. As a fan favorite who seems to have found a solid role in Utah, fans might be reluctant to see him go, but it makes little sense to maintain bench depth when the starting lineup itself is no good.
Utah Jazz: Jordan Clarkson next to be traded
At the young age of 29 and still, firmly in his prime, Clarkson is one of the best trade assets the Jazz still have after moving on from O’Neale, Gobert, and Mitchell. Clarkson will probably be the next domino to fall, as a contender would love to add some extra bench firepower.
The Sacramento Kings are interested in trading for Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, per @BrettSiegelNBA.
— Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) September 6, 2022
From Siegel's story: "Clarkson has generated the most interest thus far with the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors..."
The Bucks, Raptors, and Grizzlies all have conference finals aspirations, but the Sacramento Kings are still a ways away from any degree of relevancy. That being said, Clarkson is owed $27.6 million over the next two seasons, so most teams with a complete roster would struggle to move around enough money to take him.
An added layer of difficulty is that Utah is unwilling to take back long-term contracts, given that the Jazz are pursuing a youth movement. Picks and cheap young players are the main goal, and contending teams usually don’t have many picks that the Jazz would be interested in, given that they will fall to the late first round.
The Kings are an easy trade partner since they have the cash to spend on acquiring Clarkson. Why they would want to add him is beyond me, since he will not be the missing piece to finally bring playoff glory to the NBA’s forgotten franchise.