Jordan Clarkson has embraced being a member of the Utah Jazz ever since they acquired him in 2019, but given where the team is at right now, the writing's on the wall that his time is likely up with the team. There's only one problem: he doesn't have a trade market.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen reported that Clarkson will need a return to form season because, currently, no team is interested in trading for him.
"Clarkson, meanwhile, needs a bounceback season after really struggling with his efficiency last year. As of now, there haven’t been any other interested NBA teams in trading for his services," Larsen wrote in a July 22 story.
How Clarkson fared during the 2023-24 season
What makes it somewhat odd that Clarkson doesn't have a market is that the Jazz aren't paying him too much or too long, either. He will start a two-year, $28.4 million extension, meaning he'll be paid a little over $14 million per year for the next two years.
Clarkson put up his usual numbers for a scoring spark off the bench by averaging 17.1 points a game. However, his efficiencies took a pretty big dip, as he shot 41.3% from the field and 29.4% from three. In other words, he could put the ball in the bucket, but it took him a lot of trys to do it.
Even if he's not paid too much for what he does, it's a red flag because teams can look at that and think that his scoring could come at the cost of the offense's efficiency as a whole. Clarkson will have time to prove the notion wrong, but in a nutshell, teams may think his playing style is not conducive to winning.
How the Jazz could find a taker for Clarkson
The Jazz may not be able to trade Clarkson on his own in the same way they won't be able to trade John Collins on his own. However, Clarkson could be added to other trades with valuable players. There is a scenario where Clarkson could be a throw-in in a potential Lauri Markkanen trade, but that would only be if the Jazz find a suitable Markkanen trade.
They could also let the coming season play out and see if Clarkson rebuilds his value as a player in a hot stretch. Clarkson has been known to go on a tears for stretches. If any strong play coincides with a hopeful contender not playing as well as they could have hoped, they could strike up a deal.
All indications are Clarkson will be on the Jazz to start the 2024-25 season. The Jazz would be better off without him knowing the direction they're going in, but for the time being, a trade isn't in the cards. That could change depending on how he fares when the season starts.