None of this should come as a major surprise, as the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd reported from the NBA combine earlier this month that the Jazz are keeping their options open.
Team president Danny Ainge told media following the conclusion of the regular season that the Jazz were going to go “big-game hunting.” His way of saying that the team wants to win next season, after a pair of disappointing losing seasons.
“We’re ready to roll, we’re ready to go big-game hunting,” Ainge said. “That hasn’t happened in the last two years, but if we start all over, then we’re three years, possibly four years from being anywhere. We feel like we’re closer than that, and we have a chance. We’re going all-in this summer.
“When I say all-in, that doesn’t mean that we’re going to throw all our chips in, like championship or bust. I’m saying our mindset is that we’re doing everything only to try to win. That’s our only objective … and if we don’t land anything, we don’t make any deals, we don’t land anything, then our direction could change.”
Clarkson has been a key figure off the Jazz’s bench since he arrived in Utah during the 2019-20 season. Over his four-and-a-half seasons in Utah he has become a fan favorite, but at 31 he doesn’t especially fit a team built around the 27-year-old Markkanen and even younger players — 13 of the players on the Jazz’s 18-man roster are 25 or younger.
As for the Jazz’s draft picks in the 2024 NBA draft, the prevailing consensus is that this year’s draft is lacking in star talent, particularly where the Jazz would be making their selections. And if the Jazz want to win more games in 2024-25, another rookie isn’t likely to move the needle. For a while, at the best.
