Getty Jordan Clarkson, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have three roster spots waiting to be filled and have just four days left to utilize their $17.2 million trade exception.
It’s clear that Boston intends to add another big man to their rotation, following the departure of Daniel Theis, and another wing looks to be high on their agenda too. But, given the never-ending need for bench scoring in the NBA, the Celtics could be tempted to add another veteran marksman, if the deal is right.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Celtics should look towards Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz, considering they’re on the precipice of a rebuild and could be willing to part with their former sixth man of the year.
“The Utah Jazz have already traded away Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale this summer, and they’re now willing to field offers on Donovan Mitchell, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This should get the attention of the Shamrocks, though not for an asset-draining Donovan deal. Rather, Boston should see if an offer of draft picks and financial flexibility is enough to pry scoring guard Jordan Clarkson loose,” Buckley wrote on July 14.
However, given Boston’s deep guard rotation, adding Clarkson might be seen as overkill, especially given the team’s needs at both the center and wing positions.
What Would Clarkson Bring to the Celtics?
Clarkson is one of the best bench scorers in the NBA and has been incredibly successful since moving from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Jazz – with a short stop in Cleveland separating the two moves.
Throughout his career, Clarkson is averaging 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 43.9% from the field and 33.8% from three. However, Clarkson is a volume scorer, with an average of 13.3 shot attempts per game, and given the Celtics’ deep rotation of offensive talent, he would get near that amount of shots in Boston.
@AdamTaylorNBA Clarkson just doesn’t fit on this current team. They do need another wing (SF), though. Udoka said so himself. Kind of gone under the radar because everyone is so focused on getting a big.
As such, there should be a genuine concern about Clarkson’s ability to impact winning for the Celtics, considering the ball wouldn’t be in his hands often, and he would be excepted to operate off the catch or rip-through to get points. Still, if the Celtics do wish to add a microwave scorer off the bench, they should look no further than Clarkson, who is entering the last year of his contract in the coming season.
Stevens Has ‘Green Light’ to Keep Spending
The Celtics project to be deep into the luxury tax in the coming season, which is widely seen as a reason why they’ve stood pat on using their mammoth trade exception. However, during a July 12 press conference, Brad Stevens told the media that the Celtics ownership group have given him the green light to spend what he deems necessary to take Boston to the next level.
“We talked about obviously it’s great to have the green light to continue to add in any which way we need, but one of the things I will keep focusing on is adding without taking away. We do have a deep team. There will be the need for everybody to give a little, which is important, but I think everybody here is willing to do that because they got a taste of what it’s all about in June. It’s pretty clear what we want to do here moving forward,” Stevens said during Brogdon and Gallinari’s introductory press conference.
Still, with other areas of the roster being a more pressing concern, Clarkson may be an addition that makes sense but never materializes, and considering how deep the Celtics rotation already is, that might now be a bad thing.