Milwaukee Bucks: Assessing a Jordan Clarkson trade package

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly among the teams who have shown interest in Jordan Clarkson per Brett Siegel of Fastbreak on FanNation. Siegel also wrote a proposal for teams showing the most interest in Clarkson, including a trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks.

Siegel’s proposal is as follows:

It’s not a secret that the Utah Jazz are looking to load up on draft picks after trading their two best players this off-season and rumored to be looking to trade more. The Utah Jazz seem to be taking the route that the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone the last few years, just loading up on picks and taking a ton of shots at the draft.

The Jazz are likely to want at least one first round pick however the Bucks can’t trade a first round pick for a few years, which is where MarJon Beauchamp comes in. Adding in the second round picks is what could persuade the Jazz to accept an offer from Milwaukee over another team. Adding two second round picks to this deal still leaves the Bucks with a second round selection in each of the next two years as the Bucks got more second rounders in the Donte DiVincenzo trade. Jon Horst has done a lot of work with second round picks, just last off-season using several to acquire Grayson Allen.

Grayson Allen is also included in this trade as the Milwaukee Bucks most tradeable asset and having already spent time in Utah. Allen was drafted by the Jazz in the first round in 2018 and played the first year of his career there before being sent to Memphis.

This trade would also save the Jazz $2.3 million in cap space without having to accept a giant expiring contract. Grayson Allen turns 27 in October and could either be part of bridging the gap to a rebuild or flipped to a different contender at the trade deadline and help the Jazz acquire even more draft capital or prospects.

Trading MarJon Beauchamp would be a bit of a bummer for sure, but trading for Jordan Clarkson would be the type of win now move that fans have been clamoring for all off-season. Retaining important players like Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton are important moves but retention is never sexy. Fans are always after the big name splash that feels like a big upgrade. Jordan Clarkson could be that player.

The Milwaukee Bucks trading for Jordan Clarkson could be one of those moves that helps return the Bucks to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. Bringing in Clarkson would reunite him with former teammate Joe Ingles, who as Siegel mentioned in his article, finished first and second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting two years ago. Clarkson finished fourth in 2021-22.

Clarkson averaged 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season in just over 27 minutes per game, his percentages were down a bit last season but given the fact that Grayson Allen shot his career high in 3-point percentage with the Bucks last season, there is certainly something to be said about the quality of looks you get playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Not that Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert don’t demand attention, but let’s be honest, there would be far more open looks for Clarkson in Milwaukee.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest trade rumors at Behind the Buck Pass.