This season has already been an embarrassing one for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they are 3-19 and the worst team in the Western Conference, but it hasn't come without its bright spots. The biggest bright spot for the Lakers not just this season but for the past two seasons has been Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson is having a solid sophomore season in the NBA, but he is set to become a free agent after the season so there is some question as to whether the Lakers will keep him. But Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times writes it is all but guaranteed he is a Laker next season and beyond.
Clarkson was a second round pick (46th overall) by the Washington Wizards last season before being traded to the Lakers for cash a day later. The 23-year-old out of the University of Missouri was a pleasant surprise for the Lakers, as he was named to the NBA all-rookie team last season, and so far this season he hasn't been hit by the sophomore slump. Clarkson is second on the team behind Kobe Bryant at 15.2 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from three-point range through 22 games.
Clarkson only got a two-year deal after being drafted, and because he was drafted in the second round there is a different set of rules for his free agency. Clarkson will be a restricted free agent, but instead of another team having the ability to offer him ridiculous money and possibly price the Lakers out, the max any team can offer him is four years at $57.8 million under the Gilbert Arenas provision.
The Lakers could also decide to not wait and give him a contract worth $88.9 million over four years before he even talks to other teams if they deem he is worth it. The fact of the matter is that even if another team offers him the $57.8 million, the Lakers can match that and likely would because Clarkson has proven to be a very good player and the Lakers will have a ton of cap space next season with Bryant and Roy Hibbert coming off the books.
The question becomes whether the Lakers decide to give Clarkson the max contract they can or if he gets a lesser contract from them. At this point there is almost zero doubt that the Lakers will retain him, as he is one of their very few bright spots, but the question now becomes how big of a pay raise is he in for?
