NBA Rumors: Jordan Clarkson Could Rejoin LeBron James, Lakers In 2020 Free Agency, Per ‘Fadeaway World’
Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson has continued to establish an impressive performance since the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to the Utah Jazz in December. Despite mostly coming off the bench, there’s no doubt that Clarkson is one of the major reasons behind the Jazz’s success in the 2019-20 NBA season. However, though Clarkson and the Jazz are expected to make a huge noise in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, his future in Utah remains uncertain.
Clarkson is currently playing the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. And while Clarkson may currently be happy in Utah, he hasn’t given any assurance that he will re-sign with them. Instead of inking a new deal with the Jazz, Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World believes that Clarkson should consider reuniting with former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers.
“If the tables do switch, and Clarkson joins LeBron with the team that originally drafted him, this would be a great signing for the team. Clarkson is having a tremendous impact with the Jazz, Clarkson is averaging 15.6 PPG since he arrived in Utah. Next season, he might be willing to join arguably the begs team in the West, to reunite with LeBron James in sunny Los Angeles, California. Clarkson’s shooting and scoring is something that the Lakers will truly value since they have been on the lookout for a guard all season long.”
It would definitely be interesting to see Clarkson returning to the team that selected him as the No. 46 overall pick in 2014. Since they parted ways in 2018, a lot of things have changed with the Lakers. After the successful acquisition of James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have managed to turn themselves from one of the worst NBA teams in the league to a legitimate title contender in the deep Western Conference.
Before the NBA suspension due to the spread of coronavirus, the Lakers were establishing a very impressive performance in the 2019-20 NBA season, sitting in the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference with a 49-14 record.
However, despite being one of the heavy favorites to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season, the Lakers still have plenty of issues on their roster. This includes their need for another shot-creator and playmaker which could be immediately addressed by bringing Clarkson back in the 2020 NBA free agency.
Unfortunately, as much as the Lakers may want to add Clarkson to their roster, their number one priority in the 2020 NBA offseason is re-signing Davis. With his current performance in the 2019-20 NBA season, the Lakers will need to free a huge chunk of their salary cap space to convince Clarkson to return to Los Angeles this summer.
