Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: There seems to be more smoke to the Jordan Clarkson rumors that originally reported.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors are beginning to pick up. The Lakers have a very important month ahead. The 2017 NBA Draft is on June 22nd, and the Lakers own two first round picks. They will be conducting workouts and interviews with potential draft picks in the coming weeks to figure out which players that want to draft.
It has been an open secret that one player the Lakers are very interested in is UCLA point guard, Lonzo Ball. Ball’s father, LaVar, has been outspoken about his eagerness for his son to play for the Lakers. Owners of the second overall pick, there is a good chance that Ball ends up on the Lakers.
If that comes to fruition, it will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster. 2015 first round pick, D’Angelo Russell, would probably be moved to shooting guard to make room for Ball. Where does that leave Jordan Clarkson?
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Clarkson has been a consummate professional for the Lakers in his three seasons with the team. He was mainly a point guard as a rookie before moving to shooting guard in his second season. He started a majority of the time in his first two seasons but moved to the bench in his third season.
Throughout all of the shuffling, Clarkson never complained. He took everything with stride and has developed into a good player. But, if the Lakers do in fact add Ball to the roster, Clarkson could be the odd man out.
Earlier it was reported that the Lakers were ‘open-minded’ to moving Clarkson. Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders discussed the possibility of moving Clarkson, stating that it could happen as early as draft night.
A new report has now surfaced that there might be more to the Clarkson trade talks. Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post reports that the Lakers are not only ‘open-minded’ about trading Clarkson, but are actively looking for offers.
Per a source, #Lakers are not just "open-minded" to trading Jordan Clarkson, as has been reported, but are actively seeking out offers.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 1, 2017
It sounds like there is something brewing on the trade front for the Lakers. Clarkson should generate a ton of trade interest if he is truly made available. There is a lot to like about Clarkson.
He has youth on his side, as he will be only 25 later in the month. He is on a very favorable contract, as he signed a four-year, $50 million deal last offseason. Given the contracts that other free agents have signed in recent seasons, Clarkson’s deal could be considered a steal.
If Clarkson is indeed moved, what would the Lakers look for in return? Landing another first round pick would be intriguing. A 25-year old combo guard with the skills to play both guard positions and defend multiple spots is something plenty of teams would be interested in.
Another potential route for the Lakers to take is to attach a contract to Clarkson. For how attractive his contract is, the Lakers have some that are ugly. If someone such as Luol Deng or Timofey Mozgov could be attached to Clarkson, that may be a better route for Los Angeles to take than acquiring another first round pick.
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This will be a development to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Clarkson is a solid building block if the Lakers decide to hold onto him, but he could also help them further push their rebuild depending on the package put together.