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NBA free agency: Jordan Clarkson agrees to three-year, $55M extension with Jazz, per report – CBS Sports
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Jordan Clarkson has agreed to a three-year, $55M extension with the Utah Jazz, according to Shams Charania. The new deal, which is the most lucrative of Clarkson’s career, will keep the veteran guard in Salt Lake City until 2026.
Clarkson was traded to the Jazz in the middle of the 2018-19 season, and has flourished since his arrival. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2021 as part of a team that won 52 games and finished first in the Western Conference, and had a career year last season after moving into a starting role. His 20.8 points, four rebounds and 4.4 assists per game were all career highs.
Though he has become a fan favorite and grown to love the community, there were some questions about Clarkson’s future heading into the summer. Would he look for greener pastures after the best season of his career? Could the team look to trade him for more assets to continue their rebuild?
“I love Utah,” he said in an interview in April. “But I mean, it’s a business. I understand it. It is nothing for us to pack up and enjoy another experience anywhere. But the biggest thing for us is, you know, the love and support that I felt here, Utah, it has been amazing. And that probably is the biggest thing that would have hurt just leaving, because all the relationships and stuff that we built.”
In the end, both parties decided it was best if he stayed around, and he not only picked up his player option for next season but added an extra two years with this extension. He’ll continue to provide a reliable offensive threat and veteran presence in the locker room on this young Jazz team that is trying to take the next step.
With Clarkson back, the addition of John Collins and the arrival of three first-round picks — Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh — the Jazz have bolstered a squad that appeared to be ahead of schedule last season. They got off to a terrific start, and it appeared they would even make the Play-In Tournament until they faded down the stretch — perhaps somewhat strategically.
They’re going to face some tough competition this season in a deep Western Conference, but if they want to go for it, as the Collins trade suggests they do, they could be right in the mix for the play-in again.
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