On December 20, Beijing time, the NBA Jazz team reporter revealed that the team's management has been actively touting defender Clarkson everywhere, hoping to start trading the latter on the first trade deadline of the season in 2024. Clarkson said that he hopes he has the opportunity to return to the Lakers and sprint for the championship with James!
Clarkson, the No. 16 pick in the second round in 2014, was later drafted by the Wizards, but was then traded to the Lakers to begin his NBA career alongside Kobe. As a rookie, he played his first season with the Lakers and started 38 of 59 games, averaging 11.9 points + 3.2 rebounds + 3.5 assists + 0.9 steals per game, shooting 44.8% from the field, 31.4% from three-point range, and 82.9% from the free throw line, and Clarkson was named to the rookie team of the year.
In the 2017-2018 season, he was traded by the Lakers to the Cavaliers to sprint for the championship with James, and experienced the first playoff journey of his career, but as a young player, Clarkson did not play well in the playoffs, playing an average of 15 minutes per game, 4.7 points + 1.4 rebounds + 0.7 assists, and he shot 30.1% from the field. And in the summer of 2018, James joined the Lakers, and Clarkson remained with the Cavaliers until he was later traded to the Jazz.
So far in the regular season of the new season, the 32-year-old Larkson has played an average of 31.1 minutes per game, scoring 17.2 points + 3.3 rebounds + 4.9 assists + 0.8 steals + 0.2 blocks, shooting 40.0% from the field, 30.0% from three-point range, and 84.0% from the free throw line.