The are in the midst of a rebuild. Following the
trades, the front office has collected 15 first-round picks through 2030. In addition, their roster contains 27-year-old All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and young standouts Walker Kessler and Keyonte George.
As the franchise, 31-year-old guard appears out of place. Last season, the veteran was a productive contributor, averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 assists. However, he does not fit the team’s contending timeline, and the Jazz could allocate his minutes to developing younger guards. Given his production, there should be plenty of interest in him around the league, allowing the Jazz to stockpile even more draft capital for the future.
summer, but finding a workable deal is not simple. Clarkson’s $14.1 million salary is reasonable, but the Knicks do not have the cap space to absorb it outright. So, they must send back a comparable salary to make the deal work. Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and Donte DiVincenzo are available options. However, they are all key contributors, and New York would likely not want to part with any of them.
Therefore, the easiest route would be facilitating a sign-and-trade around free agent forward Precious Achiuwa. The 24-year-old big man would be a solid depth piece for the Jazz. Last season, he averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks for the Knicks, becoming a key player in the absence of the injured Robinson. If the Knicks re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein, Achiuwa would be in line for a reduced role.
Achiuwa and draft compensation for Clarkson would be a win for both sides.
