The Utah Jazz opted not to trade guard Jordan Clarkson ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline this year, instead making a few smaller moves to get back some mid-tier draft picks. The Jazz's decision to not move on from Clarkson, whose stats are way down this year from past years, came as a surprise, especially with the mounting interest from teams looking to compete like the New York Knicks.
Clarkson has lost a step, and his shot has suffered from his inability to find his spots like he once was able to. He's shooting just 41.5% from the floor and a terrible 29% from three. While he's averaging over 17 points a game, he's doing so on horrid efficiency, with his true shooting percentage at just 52%.
He's not looking like he's going to get better. Through four games in February, Clarkson is only shooting 34% from the floor, 20% from three, while scoring just 13.3 points per game. As he's not a good defensive player by any means, nor is he capable of stretching the court and opening up opportunities for teammates, the only thing he can provide the Jazz, or any team, is his ability to hit shots.
And he's not doing that. It's very likely that Clarkson has entered the part of his career where his product declines and he begins to fall off as a talent. If that scenario ends up being the case, then whatever their best offers for him come the trade deadline will only start to dip as the season continues.
If the Jazz could get him for a contract swap and a first-round pick, then you may be able to get him for a second-round and matching money by the offseason. He's not playing well, and he's limited in what he can do on the court. For some reason the Utah Jazz and head coach Will Hardy keep putting him front and center when he's no longer that guy.
the Jazz will regret not trading Clarkson sooner.