New reports have surfaced that Jordan Clarkson might be headed to the city of Los Angeles to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The 30-year-old is a proven former sixth man of the year that can provide an offensive punch that the Lakers heavily lack. During the Lakers postseason run the team had multiple stretches where possessions would end in a bad LeBron James’ iso when set plays broke down. The team can utilise Clarkson as a point guard or as a shooting guard and can run him with the second unit.
Jordan Clarkson is looking for around $20 million in the ballpark if he decides to opt out of his $14.2 million player option with the Utah Jazz. He is currently averaging a career-high 20.8 points per game along with 4.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He is still proving to be a solid offensive option for teams shopping in the summer.
Clarkson is a one-dimensional player and can play subpar defense at best, but he is still a better defender than D’Angelo Russell and can be a perfect replacement for Russell if the team decides not to re-sign him this summer.
The Lakers are currently linked to Kyrie Irving as a potential replacement for the point guard position, but Uncle Drew is still a long shot for the team as they would have to give up too much for him.
Clarkson can also provide playmaking and spacing as he ended the season with an impressive 33.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc on high volume.
Related: Dallas Mavericks DISMISS Kyrie Irving’s trade to Lakers for D’Angelo Russell
What is NEXT for Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell?
The Lakers’ guard ended the season on a disappointing note, getting benched in crucial moments against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals in which the Lakers were swept by them.
D’Lo only scored a combined 25 points in 4 games against the Nuggets in the 4 games the Lakers lost. Though his production was bad, he played an important role in getting the Lakers there, helping the team go on a 17-9 run to end the regular season.
Russell can still provide offense and playmaking for teams that might want him this summer as three teams have been eyeing his situation with the Lakers, namely the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzles and the Miami Heat.
A trade to the Spurs and Heat is unlikely as of recently as the Spurs might want Wembanyama to take over the offense and with the resurgence of Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent, the Heat also found their offense in them. So, the real contenders are the Grizzles as they sometimes lack offense when Ja Morant sits on the bench and can be a perfect fit for the Grizzlies’ young core.
Although teams might want to snatch D’Lo away, it is most likely that he re-signs with the Lakers this summer unless the Laker can notch up a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire Kyrie Irving.
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