One of the toughest things that an NBA player can go through is dealing with trade rumors. Whether a deal is completed or it is just rumors floating around, not knowing which city or team you could be playing for is never an easy thing to handle.
Currently, that is the position that many veterans are in on the Utah Jazz. Their front office decided to dive head first into a rebuild, which has led to plenty of rumors surrounding the team. Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell were all traded away this offseason but other players could be on the move.
One of those players is Jordan Clarkson. The combo guard is one season removed from winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and is one of the best bench players in the NBA.
With the team focused on the future, there is no real need for Clarkson in Salt Lake City any longer, especially with all of the young players that are vying for playing time.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jordan Clarkson & Utah Jazz Updates
As a result, he has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate for weeks. He took the high road when discussing the rumors, saying he is ready for anything and just wants to help whatever team he is on win some games. He recently discussed it during a piece on Complex written by Mike DeStefano.
“I’m ready for whatever happens,” says Clarkson. “If I’m in a different jersey in a week or tomorrow I get a phone call and I have to put on whatever jersey it is, I’m just trying to win and take whatever team it is to the next level to hopefully win a championship one day.”
Trade rumors are nothing new to Clarkson. He has already been traded twice during his career and both times it came during the regular season. That is even harder to do because acclimating yourself to a new city and teammates in the midst of traveling and playing games has its challenges.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jordan Clarkson & Utah Jazz Updates
Alas, just because it is something that he has gone through previously, it does not mean that it will be any easier of a transition. Hopefully, for Clarkson, he lands somewhere where he can succeed as he has a player option for the 2023-24 season that he could very well decline in hopes of landing another lucrative long-term deal.