With murmurs already going in, Jordan Clarkson finally shattered his silence about his current status of a possible deal with the Utah Jazz.
Clarkson revealed that he hasn’t kept in touch yet with the franchise about an extension while shutting down plenty of rumblings that he rejected the team’s offer for a new deal.
And if ever discussions finally take place soon, the Fil-Am sensation made it known that he is keen in his intents to remain as a Jazzman.
“I’ve really had no communication in terms of extension from my side or my team that I know of,” Clarkson told Filipino sports reporters, via Karlo Sacamos of SPIN.ph.
“And if those talks are happening, sometime soon, I would love to be here in Utah, continue to play with my teammates further.”
Clarkson, 30, previously inked a multi-year extension worth over $50MM with the Jazz last 2020 offseason. Following this campaign, he still has a $14.2 million player option for 2023-24, which he may likely opt out to consider testing the unrestricted free agency waters and hunt for a new and much more lucrative paycheck.
As such, his probable plans to earn that bigger money bag can’t even be more fortified by his current performance this season for the Jazz. Embracing a newfound starting gig under rookie coach Will Hardy, the 2020-2021 Sixth Man of the Year is currently averaging career highs in points (21.1), assists (4.4), and rebounds (4.2) while draining 45.3 percent of his shots from the field across 45 games – serving as Utah’s main offensive microwave en route to a 22-24 team record so far.
Reports from various sources indicate that Clarkson is being heavily coveted by the franchise, with Tony Jones of The Athletic revealing last week that there is a “mutual interest” for both camps to possibly extend their pact. The veteran two-guard is also extension eligible before the 2022-23 season reaches its conclusion.
With talks yet to be determined for him and on the side of the Jazz camp, Clarkson is just keeping his patience intact on what would be the next stage.
“If the summer comes and it’s nothing else or it’s not an agreement or anything comes through, we just have to wait and see,” Clarkson added. “I can’t tell that far in the future, but in terms of right now, I don’t think there’s really been much talking.”
