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With less than a month left before the NBA trade deadline, the Utah Jazz must make an important decision. As reported by Marc Stein, Jordan Clarkson has turned down his contract extension.
Clarkson has grown as a Jazz Nation favorite, especially considering his new high role on the team this season. It doesn’t solve anything by proving during his tenure that he makes bold moves that aren’t necessarily popular with players and fans alike.
After a strong start to the season with a 10-3 record, the Jazz have only 10 wins and are now 20-23 this season. This could change how Ainge prioritizes Utah roster operations before the trade deadline.
There’s a lot of uncertainty about what direction Ainge and Jazz will take for the rest of the season, but at least we can summarize a short list of players who will be part of the team’s near future. Markkanen has had incredible success and is definitely among the most improved players of the year and a contender for his first All-Star appearance. He is Utah’s greatest asset and should be a solid cornerstone as the Jazz rebuild for contention again.
The two draft picks Utah acquired in the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell trade may be out of the question. Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler are in the first year of their respective contracts and have yet to reach their true potential.
Kessler has cemented his place in the rotation and is one of the best paint protectors in the league. He’s not as strong as Gobert (at least not now), but he’s a quick learner and will be an important asset to the Jazz and their defense for years to come.
Agbaji is a whole other story and may not be in the same category as Markkanen or Kessler. Still, as a first-year player in his only 18 games with the Jazz, Agbaj hasn’t been given a chance to prove himself over the long term.
It’s hard to talk about his potential, but Agbaj played 18 minutes, scored 11 points and played most of the fourth quarter against Houston on Thursday. Whether or not he’s part of Jazz’s long-term future remains to be seen, but Utah will at least give him a stronger chance before giving up on him.
After those three, I don’t think the Jazz will be tied to any other player long term or beyond this trade deadline. As a .500 team, Utah should seriously consider trading young assets and look to a strong draft to give them the opportunity to grow and develop alongside Markkanen as a leader.
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