Are Markkanen and Clarkson part of Jazz long term plans?
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen are the two oldest players on the Jazz roster under contract next season.
Markkanen has one more year on his deal before becoming a free agent. The Jazz will no doubt try to sign him to an extension this off-season, and the former All-Star says he needs to weigh his options.
“You guys know me that I want to win basketball games, get to the playoffs and hopefully at the end, go all the way,” Markkanen said. “I’ve got to sit down and think about it. But we love to be here. I’ve said it multiple times and my family likes to be here, and especially if they get a hockey team now.”
“I think it’s pretty clear that Lauri Markkanen is a very good player,” Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said. “We love him, and yeah, we’d like to have him around.”
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Markkanen only played in 55 games because of injuries, and the fact the Jazz were out of the playoff race and wanted to get a good look at their younger players. But it was frustrating losing 20 of their last 25 games, especially after winning 15 of 19 before the Jazz made multiple moves at the trade deadline.
“At this point in my career, I know how the business kind of works,” said Markkanen, a 2023 NBA All-Star. “They had to make those tough decisions, and obviously they want to win a championship as well. So, they’re doing the best they can. I think we had good stretches of basketball both years I’ve been here, and you obviously just want to keep that going.”
No Jazz player has been here longer than Clarkson, who was traded from Cleveland in the middle of the 2019-20 season. But as the oldest player on the team at 31, Clarkson, who still has two years left on his current deal, knows he could be traded this off-season.
“I couldn’t say,” Clarkson said about his future with the Jazz. “I don’t know. Tomorrow is tomorrow. I’ll love this organization, I love this state and this city. I love playing for this team, and for Will [Hardy] and everybody. So if it is the last 2024, that’s just what it is.”
Having just wrapped up his 10th NBA season, the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year knows his time is running out to win a championship. He may not want to be a part of a rebuild, if the Jazz continue to go with a youth movement.
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“We had high expectations of trying to make the play-in game,” Clarkson said. “But I guess we didn’t accomplish where we wanted to, so I feel like it’s a letdown for us.”
But after he’s done playing, Clarkson could definitely see himself living or spending a lot of time in Utah.
“Snowboarding, skiing, yeah,” Clarkson said with a smile. “Do all that kind of stuff, fun stuff. I’ll probably get a Harley-Davidson to ride around. The highways are nice here. But after I’m done.”
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