The 2022-23 season was a surprisingly good one for the Utah Jazz, as they were in the Play-In hunt until late in the season when they eventually shut things down and shifted attention to the future. After trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, few expected them to be in that position, but they got strong seasons from the likes of Lauri Markkanen, who became an All-Star, and Jordan Clarkson to propel them to a pleasantly surprising year.
Clarkson averaged 20.8 points, 4.4 assists, and four rebounds per game, continuing his strong play in Utah over the last few years, and had the potential to cash in on that success this summer by hitting the open market. However, Clarkson made the decision to stick around in Utah, as Sarah Todd of the Deseret News reports that Clarkson will pick up the player option for the final year of his contract.
I'm told Jordan Clarkson will exercise his player option to stay with the Utah Jazz for the 2023-24 season, according to league sources.
This leaves the door open for the Jazz to extend his contract.— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) June 29, 2023
Clarkson is entering the final year of a 4-year, $51.5 million deal that he signed back in 2020, and this year, he’s slated to make a little more than $14 million. While the Jazz are largely in the midst of a youth movement, Clarkson has been a steady presence over the years, and won the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year award for his play off the bench. As Todd noted, the two sides can now sit down and work towards a contract extension that would keep him in Utah beyond this year.
