Lakers Rumors: A Jordan Clarkson trade to the Mavericks makes sense

With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now in the mix, Lakers rumors concerning a Jordan Clarkson trade have amplified. Dallas may be the best suitors for this deal.

Jordan Clarkson may be the next member of the Los Angeles Lakers to pack his bags. With the latest Lakers rumors spelling out that the team is looking to free up cap space to pursue a superstar in 2018, Clarkson may just be the first to go.

Clarkson currently owns the third highest contract on the Lakers behind veteran small forward Luol Deng and new addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Clarkson is set to make $37.5 million over the next three years – not a huge contract but definitely a noticeable one.

Luckily for the Lakers, youth is on Clarkson’s side. The 25-year-old guard is entering just his fourth year in the league. With consistent numbers in all three years, teams know exactly what they will be getting out of a Clarkson deal.

Yes, he is expensive, but he is also expendable. Especially with Caldwell-Pope now in the fray the Lakers have even more incentive to deal Clarkson. There no longer would be a void to fill as Lonzo Ball and Caldwell-Pope is the starting backcourt in Los Angeles.

This trade would certainly be a salary dump. Los Angeles would look to take in an expiring deal, sending away a young player to a team that needs one. They may need to add in second round picks, but in the scheme of things, that won’t mean much. The perfect team to fit the billing is the Dallas Mavericks.

Mark Cuban’s Mavericks needs some young guards, especially with their veteran guards on expiring deals. Dallas already has a good core around Harrison Barnes and Seth Curry and needs to further build that. LA and Dallas can easily strike a deal that benefits both sides, that deal would likely look something like this.

The Lakers here would be getting a return consisting of $10 million in exchange for Clarkson’s $11.5 million. However, both contracts that Los Angeles is bringing is are expiring – giving the Lakers even more cap space after the season.

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With Brook Lopez and Caldwell-Pope on expiring deals as well, the Lakers would now have $40 million in cap room. That is enough to bring in a star and then some.

For Dallas, this deal makes perfect sense. They already add to a young backcourt that has immense potential, and should Clarkson or J.J. Barea walk in free agency in the coming years, will have more than enough to fill the void.

Los Angeles doesn’t really need Josh McRoberts, however, bringing in another power forward could signal the imminent deal of Julius Randle.

Kyle Kuzma has played great, potentially forcing the Lakers hand on trading Randle. Add in Harris to fill the void of Clarkson and this deal makes a great amount of sense.

The Lakers would not be losing too much production-wise as Clarkson is likely going to take a reduced role anyways. This frees them up for their future superstar, something they need to succeed.

Next: What to expect out of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Overall, the Lakers rumors surrounding Jordan Clarkson will likely continue to grow even in the guard is never dealt. Yet still, out of all the Lakers rumors, a trade to Dallas makes the most sense.