Within a look at the Jazz‘s potential depth chart, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune says that Jordan Clarkson hasn’t drawn any real trade interest this offseason, so it appears the veteran guard will still be on Utah’s roster when the regular season tips off this fall.
In Larsen’s view, Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George all possess similar skill sets as score-first guards who aren’t particularly strong on defense or super-efficient as shooters. While each of them may be best suited as a sixth man, Larsen projects George and Sexton as the starters, with Clarkson coming off the bench.
Rather than trying to start John Collins again alongside Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler in the frontcourt, the Jazz should give 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams a shot in the starting five, Larsen contends, noting that the team needs to gamble on upside and adding that Williams looks capable of fitting in as an offensive connector.
In his hypothetical Jazz depth chart, Larsen has Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, and Drew Eubanks joining Clarkson and Collins on the second unit.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Appearing on the Club 520 Podcast with Jeff Teague (YouTube link), Warriors big man Draymond Green said he’s happy Klay Thompson was able to move on from Golden State this summer — for Thompson’s sake. “I’m happy as hell he’s gone, and the reason I’m happy he’s gone is because he wasn’t happy anymore,” Green said. “As a brother, I only want what’s best for you. Not what’s best for me, not what’s best for this team, not what’s best for the organization. … To see him unhappy – I wouldn’t even necessarily say unhappy, he was uneasy though, just bothered – and to see him that way… that bothered me. … I think it was time for him.”
- The Trail Blazers have announced an addition to their coaching staff, issuing a press release to officially confirm the hiring of Ronnie Burrell as an assistant under Chauncey Billups. A former UNC Greensboro standout and a professional player in Europe, Burrell spent last season on Brooklyn’s staff after serving as head coach of the Long Island Nets in 2022/23.
- Jim Moran, who coached the Rip City Remix in the G League last season, is joining Mike Brown‘s staff as a Kings assistant, league sources tell Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter links). Moran previously served as an assistant under Dwane Casey in Detroit and Terry Stotts in Portland, Cunningham notes.
The jazz can’t make a deal cause Danny ainge is trying to fleece everyone. Have fun in constant mediocrity
Exactly, Brandin Podziemski and one 1st round pick is an excellent haul for 1 year of Lauri, why won’t Ainge just accept this?
Ainge will over play his hand once the extension time hits next month and not signed. His value goes down.
It’s not one year. If a team trades for him, they’re going to be certain they can extend him (or, if the Jazz extend him first, it’s moot).
If a team trades for him they will want to be sure he signs a extension. That what make sit tough if he says no he wants to be a free agent. One of the reasons the warriors didn’t get a player last year he said he wouldn’t sign a extension with them.
Why would the Jazz be in in any hurry to trade Markannen? If they decide to go that route they can renegotiate and extend him by August 6th then make a move all the way up to the trade deadline. By then more teams than Golden State will be interested as they will know where they stand and may be willing to make a better deal then what the Moody and a few firsts.
You also forget to take into account that Markannen doesn’t want to be traded, at least until they renegotiate and extend him. He likes living in Utah and they’re the only team that can give him a raise for this upcoming season. If they try to trade him without an extension he can just “ok trade me, but I’m not extending until the off season”.
People keep saying the Jazz will extend him, but why would he cost himself money in this scenario? Why would he do the jazz a favor at the expense of millions of dollars? It’s not automatic that he signs an extension, jazz have him under contract now. He won’t be worth as much at the deadline as a rental, and I doubt he wants to rebuild in Utah.
Because he won’t extend unless they renegotiate. If he doesn’t renegotiate he will cost himself millions of dollars, about $24 million to be exact.
Many Utah fans have swallowed the fairy tales, created by the Jazz mouthpieces within their local media outlets, hook, line and sinker.
Blowing any of Markkanen’s courteous standard remarks out of proportion has laid the foundation for the naive belief that the player will sacrifice millions as well as his career, all for the honor of living in SLC.
Markkanen would be an utter fool to take less money for years of tanking, seasons that end in early March with phantom injuries and a playoff-free career.
Toad , you ask:
> Why would the Jazz be in in any hurry to trade
> Markannen?
How about so they can tank this year and have a shot at a high lottery pick in a killer draft year?
The Jazz are known as the NBA’s “Living Dead” — too good to get a high lottery pick, and yet years away from making the playoffs.
They were 1-12 with Markannen starting after the trade deadline last season. If they want to tank they can do so with our without him.
Exactly! They can still tank with him. I’d rather the Jazz keep him then trade him for less than what the Nets got for Bridges.
He didn’t seem to mind when they tanked after the trade deadline last year. They just need to commit fully to losing throughout the whole year. The other teams picking top 10 aren’t going to trade down in this upcoming draft.
Benboy , you say:
> They can still tank with him.
Not so easy for several reasons
League rules explicitly limit how many games a healthy player can sit. It’s about the integrity of the game.
Trading good players for younger players or draft picks is permitted, as are stipulated levels of load management.
It’s also about avoiding class action lawsuits from preexisting season ticket holders and advertisers. There is a fine line between “tanking” and intentionally losing that the NBA watches closely.