Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson On Trade Block?

A year after signing a long-term deal with the Lakers, Jordan Clarkson may find himself on the trade block this summer. According to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers are “increasingly open-minded” about trading Jordan Clarkson, with a source suggesting that a deal this offseason wouldn’t be a surprise.

While Hamilton cautions that the idea of a Clarkson trade is mostly “conjecture” at this point, Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) takes it a step further. Schultz hears from a source that the Lakers aren’t just open-minded about moving Clarkson — they’ve been actively seeking out offers.

Dealing Clarkson, who will turn 25 next Wednesday, would make some sense for the Lakers if they’re locked into a guard like Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick. With Ball and D’Angelo Russell in the mix, a player like Clarkson – who is earning $12.5MM annually on a four-year contract – wouldn’t necessarily have a major role in L.A.’s backcourt unless the team wants to make him a full-time shooting guard.

Moving Russell would also be a possibility, though there has been no indication that the Lakers are considering that, despite alleged interest from other teams.

Clarkson is currently on track to enter the 2017/18 season as the third-highest-paid Laker, but would have more trade value than the two players earning more than him (Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov). In 2016/17, Clarkson appeared in all 82 games, averaging 14.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.6 APG.

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