Phoenix Suns Targeting Former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson

Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson is included in the Phoenix Suns’ trade target list.

Utah Jazz spitfire guard Jordan Clarkson is gaining trade attention around the league. Jake Fisher of Yahoo Sports recently reported that the Phoenix Suns have inquired about the availability of Clarkson, with the goal of another ball-handler and shot-creator to the team. This trade speculation comes in the midst of the standoff between the Suns and veteran forward Jae Crowder, with both parties reportedly agreeing to part ways via a trade.

Jordan Clarkson, who won the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year award, is entering his fourth year with the Jazz. He averaged a decent stat line of 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists last season, although his three-point shooting percentage dropped to 31.8%. There’s no doubt that Clarkson could provide value for any playoff-contending team, but the Jazz doesn’t have the pieces to properly contend this season. Their offseason consisted of trading away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the two cornerstones of their franchise in the past several years. 

With that said, there’s the possibility that Jordan Clarkson will get traded to a playoff contender this season. The Suns seem to be one of those teams, with Fischer saying that they are dangling the services of Crowder in a potential Clarkson deal. However, the Jazz might want to get future draft picks alongside Crowder, especially with them potentially entering a rebuilding stage. Even if Crowder lands in Utah, the possible course of action for the Jazz is to buy out his contract and let the defensive-minded forward sign with a playoff contender elsewhere. Crowder is actually in the last year of his contract, which might make it easier to trade him. 

According to Fischer, the Suns have also inquired about the availability of Utah’s Jarred Vanderbilt and Detroit Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic.