Sixers may consider Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson as trade prospect
The Utah Jazz are on the fast track to rebuilding. After failing in 2022 NBA Playoffs, rumors of a potential breakup in the star duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell came true when the Jazz sent Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After receiving a slew of picks and players, the Jazz needed to reorganize the roster around their other All-Star, Donovan Mitchell. After avoiding Mitchell-related calls for weeks, the Jazz finally decided to take things in a different direction.
Mitchell became available for trade, with the New York Knicks being their best suitor. Although a trade between the Jazz and the Knicks seemed likely to happen sooner rather than later, the two organizations were unable to reach a deal earlier this week.
Once the Knicks signed 22-year-old guard RJ Barrett to a four-year extension, the move complicated trade talks between the Jazz and Knicks. Then the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the toss and took advantage.
On Thursday, the Jazz agreed to trade Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, they received Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three first-round picks and two future pick trades.
When the Jazz made their first blockbuster of the summer by trading Gobert, one of Minnesota’s deal hopefuls, Patrick Beverley, was fired to the Los Angeles Lakers. According ESPN Utah’s Adrian Wojnarowski intends to retain former Cleveland prospects as they are tagged as “guardians” on the reconstruction roster.
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Utah fire sale
Although the Jazz have no interest in moving any of their recently acquired prospects, the sellout is still ongoing.
Per Wojnarowski, Utah still has “coveted veteran trade claims” on the list. The ESPN The insider named 33-year-old Bojan Bogdanovic, former All-Star Mike Conley and former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson as potential trade prospects.
This is where the situation becomes interesting for the Philadelphia 76ers. While Philly hasn’t chased the stars in an attempt to acquire Mitchell from the Jazz, they’re willing to make smaller-scale trades, similar to how they made an overnight move to acquire a backup guard. to De’Anthony Melton.
A player like Jordan Clarkson could be a great addition to the Philly bench. Last season, Clarkson appeared in 79 games for the Jazz, averaging 16 points while draining 32% of his three.
Before Clarkson landed with the Jazz after a stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Philly’s former front office showed interest in veteran guard. Of course, it has improved a lot since then, which means it will be more expensive this time around.
Landing Clarkson wouldn’t be an easy decision for the 76ers, but it’s something the team could explore in the coming weeks as the fire sale continues in Utah.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
