Lakers Ink Jordan Clarkson To Four-Year Deal

JULY 7th, 7:17pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 1st, 2:57am: Jordan Clarkson will remain a Laker, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Los Angeles has reached a contract agreement with the free agent guard. Per Charania, the Lakers will re-sign Clarkson to a four-year, $50MM contract.

Clarkson, 24, enjoyed a breakout season for the Lakers in 2015/16, starting 79 games for the club and averaging 15.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.1 SPG, to go along with a .433/.347/.804 shooting line. He received a qualifying offer from Los Angeles, making him a restricted free agent giving the team the right of first refusal, but his comments in recent weeks suggested he never intended to leave the Lakers.

“We had two tough years, but I don’t want to be a guy that is afraid and will run away from challenges,” Clarkson said in early June. “I want to be a part of the situation when it turns around because I was here when it was down. I never want to leave.”

The Lakers’ agreement with Clarkson is the second deal the team has struck during the first few hours of free agency. Earlier on Friday, Los Angeles agreed to terms on a four-year contract with center Timofey Mozgov.

Clarkson ranked 20th on Hoops Rumors’ list of this year’s top 50 free agents, while Mozgov was No. 45.