Report: Jordan Clarkson rejected Utah Jazz contract extension offer

According to Marc Stein in his most recent substack, Jordan Clarkson rejected the Utah Jazz’s contract extension offer.

Here’s what Stein had to say:

Myles Turner, to this point, has rebuffed Indiana’s contract extension offers, league sources say. Ditto for Jordan Clarkson in Utah, where sources say the Jazz came into the season hopeful of securing a new long-term deal with Clarkson before he becomes a free agent this summer. There are teams out there naturally hoping that Turner or Clarkson (or both) will be in play for trades before the deadline. I don’t see the Jazz trading Clarkson; Turner’s situation continues to be harder to read.

There are two interesting things here. First, the contract offer was rejected which has some big implications. Because next season is a player option for Jordan Clarkson, this makes it appear he won’t exercise that option and will explore free agency. If that’s the case, the Jazz have some decisions to make. Do they offer the amount Clarkson is going for or do they look at making some sort of trade?

That brings us to the second interesting point of this article. Stein states that he doesn’t see the Jazz trading Clarkson. Does that mean the Jazz hope to figure this situation out? The issue with this situation is that the Jazz are on the brink of making some trades to move vets and improve their lottery odds. If they don't feel that their contract negotiations will work out with Clarkson, a trade may be inevitable. These things can be very fluid, and if a team comes with an offer the Jazz can’t refuse, a trade would likely happen.