The Utah Jazz were expected to be bottom-feeders and compete for the No. 1 pick last season, but that was never the case.
Danny Ainge and Will Hardy wanted nothing to do with tanking, and it took them a while before making some salary-dumping moves to gather picks and part ways with some of their veterans.
Surprisingly, that also led them to keep Jordan Clarkson, who was a prime trade candidate for most of the season.
Now, the perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate is paying them back for that confidence by picking up his player option for the upcoming campaign, according to Jazz beat writer Sarah Todd.
I'm told Jordan Clarkson will exercise his player option to stay with the Utah Jazz for the 2023-24 season, according to league sources.
This leaves the door open for the Jazz to extend his contract.— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) June 29, 2023
Clarkson was a highly-coveted player for his scoring prowess off the bench, and he boasts the kind of skill set that multiple contenders could use.
He can play on and off the ball at both guard spots, and he provides an instant offensive spark with the ability to put up 20 points and five assists per game on any given night.
Clarkson will now be eligible to sign a contract extension with the young Jazz, which is likely to be the case.
Otherwise, he would’ve simply chosen to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with whichever team was willing to offer him the most money or the better shot at winning an NBA championship.
The Jazz don’t want to be in rebuild mode for long, and they made the most of their draft picks in the offseason to put together a very promising young core, so it makes sense for them to keep some key veterans around as well.
NEXT: The Jazz Are Retaining A Key Veteran
